Amazon is leveraging artificial intelligence to help Prime Video users stay up-to-date on the shows they’re watching.
The streaming service has introduced AI-generated recaps for some of its original series, designed to help viewers quickly re-engage with shows they may not have watched in a while—whether due to a long break between seasons or simply needing a memory refresher.
These recaps, called X-Ray Recaps, expand upon Prime Video’s X-Ray feature, which provides information like actor names, production details, and soundtrack info when a show or movie is paused.
“Prime Video product and technology teams work tirelessly behind the scenes to improve the customer experience, and with X-Ray Recaps, we’re addressing a common issue viewers face: forgetting where they left off,” said Adam Gray, VP of Product at Prime Video, in a statement.
“This context-aware feature delivers summaries of key moments and important plot points, enabling our customers to quickly get back into what they were watching or remember why they loved a series in the first place.”
Amazon points out that X-Ray Recaps can also save viewers from needing to rewind to catch something they missed.
“While it might be tempting to rewind or search online for a recap, that’s inconvenient and pulls you out of the streaming experience,” reads a statement from Prime Video. “You also risk encountering spoilers or re-watching parts you’ve already seen.”
The X-Ray Recaps are powered by Amazon Bedrock, a service from Amazon Web Services that creates and scales generative AI applications.
According to the company, this service analyzes video, dialogue, and subtitles to generate detailed—but spoiler-free, Amazon assures—descriptions of key plot developments.
Viewers can choose from options like episode summaries, a “season so far” recap, or summaries of prior seasons.
These AI-generated recaps are currently available for Amazon MGM Studios original series, including Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Upload, The Boys, and The Wheel of Time.
