Libby Users Finding Ways To Get Around AI Audiobooks

AI-narrated audiobooks are making sneaky inroads into public library catalogs on the Libby app, and many listeners want to continue with human voices.

With some quick checks within the app — and a couple of smart habits — you can ensure that synthetic narration does not infiltrate your queue while still hearing new releases.

How to Identify AI-Narrated Titles in Libby’s Catalog

Start with the search bar. Type Digital Voice or Synthesized Voice, and then open the Audiobooks format. In many catalogs, those phrases are notations distributors use to slap a machine-read flag on titles. Tap on any result to scroll down for the details pane: the narrator line will often say Synthesized Voice or Digital Voice rather than a human’s name.

OverDrive, which owns Libby, supplies content to more than 90,000 libraries and schools around the world; some publishers also provide catalog metadata that identifies AI narration clearly. You might also see something such as Auto-Narrated or Computer-Generated in the description. And if the words synthesized, digital, or auto are included, assume it’s AI.

Availability will vary by library and publisher, so there won’t be a single shelf to shun. Do the same searches in your library’s collections, as well as any partner libraries that you’ve added in Libby (their catalogs can vary).

Quick Checks to Spot AI Narration Before You Borrow

• Preview the sample. The pace of artificial narration is halting, clipped breaths fall where otherwise there’s no need for air, and contorted inflections wrap around names or slang. Human narrators usually speed up and slow down, throw in character voices, and do dialogue tags seamlessly on a human level.
• Scan the publisher notes. Some small presses are frank about using AI as a way to reduce the cost of production. Others specify the human producer or studio, a good indicator you’re receiving a genuine performance.
• Look for known narrators. If you’re familiar with the performer (a narrator who has an Audiobook Narrators Association or SAG-AFTRA credit, for example) that’s probably going to be safe. When all else fails, type the name of the narrator into the search bar in Libby; a sizable filmography is another strong hint.

App Filters and Workarounds to Avoid AI Narration

Set a Human Narrators tag, then add titles from the catalog to your own personal tag. Tags exist across your library cards, and you can filter searches to display items with that tag when browsing down the road. It’s an easy way to get a safe list established of series, publishers, and favorite performers that you like.

Use search strings to bring AI to the surface, then skirt it. If you regularly use Digital Voice or Synthesized Voice, new machine-read titles will be exposed; pass those by and instead click the Related or More In This Series links to identify human-narrated options.

Ignore AI suggestion engines if they are present. Libby has made inroads into AI-guided discovery, but you can still trust lists and subject guides created by librarians — along with classic filters like Narrator, Language, and Release Date — to do the curating manually.

Work With Your Library to Improve Audiobook Labels

If you come across ambiguous tagging, report it using the Report a Problem link on a title’s detail page. Please review; metadata should credit the reader. Librarians can also forward mislabeled records to the distributors.

Create a new section to list ordering recommendations for human-narrated print versions. Most selection policies do focus on patron demand; if there’s both an artificial and human version that you’ve requested, your request can help shape acquisitions. Many libraries also have local tags that indicate something like Staff Pick or Performed by to enhance discoverability.

You can also submit your feedback to the digital content team at your local library. The American Library Association encourages patrons to speak up about collection transparency, and enough listener notes could result in clearer labeling or de-prioritizing AI-narrated stock.

Why Listeners Should Care About AI-Narrated Audiobooks

Libby’s scale is huge — OverDrive said that last year libraries and schools lent more than 600 million digital titles — so even a small share of AI-narrated books might find their way into many ears. According to the Audio Publishers Association, U.S. audiobook sales have exceeded $2B and continue to grow — and in listener polls, the performance of an audiobook’s narrator ranks as one of the most important factors when choosing a title.

Voice actors and author groups have sounded alarms that synthetic narration will replace human labor and cloud the assignment of credit. Then there is the data use extending past your death; who else will want to chat with you? SAG-AFTRA has released AI voice guidance for the protection of performers’ likenesses and consent, while the Authors Guild pushes for clear labeling when machine voices are used. For library users, the practical takeaway is easier: better labeling plus a few search habits maintain the experience you’re looking for.

Bottom Line: Simple Steps to Keep Human Voices in Libby

To skip AI audiobooks on Libby, search for titles under Digital Voice and Synthesized Voice, check the narrator field on each title, audition samples, and then make a tag called Human Narrators to simplify future browse work. Flag muddy records, ask for editions that have been human-narrated, and rely on librarian-curated lists. Use these steps to keep your holds and loans securely in human hands.