AI Usage at a Glance
Timeline
Mar 22, 2019
Customer SvcPractice documented: In 2019, OverDrive launched a Google Assistant integration that let Libby users search for and borrow library books using voice commands on smart speakers, phones, and other devices. Its current operational status is unclear, as Google has since discontinued many third-party Assistant integrations.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Mar 22, 2019
Customer SvcPractice documented: Libby has included an AI-powered help chatbot since 2019 that answers common patron questions instantly, at any hour, without involving library staff. By 2024, OverDrive's CEO estimated it had handled hundreds of millions of support queries.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Aug 21, 2021
Data AnalysisPractice documented: OverDrive announced a deep-learning platform called Readtelligence in 2021 that would analyze every ebook in its catalog to generate detailed descriptions, themes, emotional arcs, reading levels, and content flags. As of 2024, the tool has been used only in limited pilot scenarios and has not been widely released to libraries.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Aug 21, 2021
ModerationPractice documented: As part of the Readtelligence platform, OverDrive developed AI tools that automatically scan the full text of ebooks and assign scores for attributes like explicit content. The tools were designed to help librarians make age-appropriateness decisions. They were announced in 2021 but have not been widely released.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Oct 7, 2021
Data AnalysisNew evidence: OverDrive Refines Readtelligence, a New AI-Driven Collection Management Tool
Evidence AddedView practice →Aug 5, 2024
Data AnalysisPractice documented: Libby uses AI to predict how long a patron will wait before a borrowed title becomes available. Rather than showing a rough estimate, the app analyzes patterns in borrowing activity to give a more accurate wait time for titles with a holds queue.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Aug 5, 2024
ProductivityPractice documented: All of OverDrive's engineering, product, and development staff use AI tools as part of their daily work. These include tools for writing and reviewing code, summarizing meetings, analyzing data, and creating design assets. CEO Steve Potash confirmed this in 2024.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Aug 5, 2024
Data AnalysisPractice documented: OverDrive uses AI to analyze how ebooks and audiobooks circulate across library systems and help librarians decide which licensing model to use for each title. This builds on OverDrive's existing Insights analytics dashboard, which has been available to libraries since around 2015.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Oct 21, 2024
Creative GenPractice documented: OverDrive allows audiobooks narrated by synthetic voices — generated by software rather than human performers — to be sold through its catalog and borrowed by library patrons. The company does not screen these titles out, and relies on publishers to voluntarily label them. This policy has been in effect at least since 2024.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Aug 26, 2025
RecommendationPractice documented: Libby added a feature called Inspire Me in September 2025 that uses a large language model to recommend books from a patron's local library. Users pick a mood or type of read — such as "cozy" or "spine-tingling" — and the AI returns five titles available to borrow, with a short explanation of each match.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Aug 29, 2025
RecommendationNew evidence: Libby is adding an AI book recommendation feature
Evidence AddedView practice →Sep 11, 2025
RecommendationNew evidence: Inspire Me with AI recommendations, or, Libby’s gone grey?
Evidence AddedView practice →Oct 3, 2025
RecommendationNew evidence: Introducing "Inspire Me"! A New Way to Discover Your Next Great Read in Libby
Evidence AddedView practice →Oct 20, 2025
RecommendationPractice documented: OverDrive's CEO has said the company plans to expand its AI book recommendation feature into a single discovery tool that covers films, magazines, comics, and other media alongside books and audiobooks. No launch date has been announced. This is a stated intention, not a live feature.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Oct 20, 2025
RecommendationNew evidence: Why this library e-book app is turning to AI
Evidence AddedView practice →Nov 20, 2025
OtherPractice documented: OverDrive filed a federal lawsuit against OpenAI in 2025, arguing that OpenAI's use of the name "Sora" for its AI video generator causes harmful confusion with OverDrive's Sora student reading app, which has served K-12 schools since 2018.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Nov 25, 2025
OtherNew evidence: OverDrive, creator of library app Libby, sues OpenAI for 'Sora' trademark infringement
Evidence AddedView practice →Feb 10, 2026
RecommendationNew evidence: Libby & Artificial Intelligence
Evidence AddedView practice →Feb 10, 2026
OtherPractice documented: OverDrive published a formal policy in 2025 laying out how the company intends to use AI responsibly across its products. The policy covers privacy, environmental impact, intellectual property, and what uses of AI the company permits and prohibits.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Mar 4, 2026
OtherPractice documented: In March 2026, OverDrive hired Marc DeBevoise as its new president. DeBevoise previously led AI-driven product development at a video technology company, and his appointment signals a continued strategic focus on expanding AI across OverDrive's products.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Recent activity
In March 2026, OverDrive hired Marc DeBevoise as its new president. DeBevoise previously led AI-driven product development at a video technology company, and his appointment signals a continued strategic focus on expanding AI across OverDrive's products.
DeBevoise joins OverDrive from Brightcove, a video technology platform, where he oversaw a revamp of the company's AI toolset for automated video publishing and metadata tagging. He will have leadership responsibility across Libby, Sora, and Kanopy. Publishers Weekly described his background as reflecting OverDrive's intention to accelerate its AI development roadmap. No specific product changes or AI initiatives were announced in connection with the hire.
OverDrive filed a federal lawsuit against OpenAI in 2025, arguing that OpenAI's use of the name "Sora" for its AI video generator causes harmful confusion with OverDrive's Sora student reading app, which has served K-12 schools since 2018.
OverDrive's Sora app — used by over 12,000 school districts across more than 60,000 schools — was launched in 2018, predating OpenAI's public release of its Sora video generator in December 2024. OverDrive filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, alleging trademark infringement, unfair competition, and deceptive trade practices. The complaint noted that OpenAI customers had contacted OverDrive directly with questions about their OpenAI accounts, demonstrating real-world confusion between the two products. OverDrive had previously warned OpenAI about the conflict in February 2024 and stated that it was rebuffed. This practice entry documents a legal collision between OverDrive and the AI industry rather than an internal AI use.
OverDrive published a formal policy in 2025 laying out how the company intends to use AI responsibly across its products. The policy covers privacy, environmental impact, intellectual property, and what uses of AI the company permits and prohibits.
The Responsible AI policy, last updated January 9, 2025, is organized around six pillars: privacy, environmental sustainability, human empowerment, human oversight, transparency, and intellectual property. Permitted uses listed include automating repetitive tasks, generating marketing content with mandatory human review, predictive analytics, and improving recommendation quality. Prohibited uses include making employment decisions without human review, discriminatory profiling, and circumventing copyright or digital rights management (DRM) protections. A companion page on the Libby app's own site, last updated February 2026, provides additional detail specific to how Inspire Me handles patron data and intellectual property protections.
All practices by category
In March 2026, OverDrive hired Marc DeBevoise as its new president. DeBevoise previously led AI-driven product development at a video technology company, and his appointment signals a continued strategic focus on expanding AI across OverDrive's products.
OverDrive filed a federal lawsuit against OpenAI in 2025, arguing that OpenAI's use of the name "Sora" for its AI video generator causes harmful confusion with OverDrive's Sora student reading app, which has served K-12 schools since 2018.
OverDrive published a formal policy in 2025 laying out how the company intends to use AI responsibly across its products. The policy covers privacy, environmental impact, intellectual property, and what uses of AI the company permits and prohibits.
Libby uses AI to predict how long a patron will wait before a borrowed title becomes available. Rather than showing a rough estimate, the app analyzes patterns in borrowing activity to give a more accurate wait time for titles with a holds queue.
OverDrive uses AI to analyze how ebooks and audiobooks circulate across library systems and help librarians decide which licensing model to use for each title. This builds on OverDrive's existing Insights analytics dashboard, which has been available to libraries since around 2015.
OverDrive announced a deep-learning platform called Readtelligence in 2021 that would analyze every ebook in its catalog to generate detailed descriptions, themes, emotional arcs, reading levels, and content flags. As of 2024, the tool has been used only in limited pilot scenarios and has not been widely released to libraries.
In 2019, OverDrive launched a Google Assistant integration that let Libby users search for and borrow library books using voice commands on smart speakers, phones, and other devices. Its current operational status is unclear, as Google has since discontinued many third-party Assistant integrations.
Libby has included an AI-powered help chatbot since 2019 that answers common patron questions instantly, at any hour, without involving library staff. By 2024, OverDrive's CEO estimated it had handled hundreds of millions of support queries.
OverDrive's CEO has said the company plans to expand its AI book recommendation feature into a single discovery tool that covers films, magazines, comics, and other media alongside books and audiobooks. No launch date has been announced. This is a stated intention, not a live feature.
Libby added a feature called Inspire Me in September 2025 that uses a large language model to recommend books from a patron's local library. Users pick a mood or type of read — such as "cozy" or "spine-tingling" — and the AI returns five titles available to borrow, with a short explanation of each match.
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