Ask Jules: Your OpenAI Powered Librarian

Over the last few months, we’ve seen a boom in AI-assisted tools. There are still a lot of questions to be figured out with these tools, but at this point, the genie is out of the bottle.

Yesterday OpenAI announced their new Chat GPT API. It allows sites to build entire chatbots leveraging their model.

We immediately jumped at the chance and today we’re announcing Ask Jules, Hardcover’s AI Librarian!

You’ve probably seen Jules around Hardcover. They’re our mascot, the default avatar, and our embodiment of what we believe the book industry should be: welcoming, accepting, and curious.

We’ve attempted to put those traits into our bot in the hope of helping you find what you’re looking for even faster.

So what can you Ask Jules?

You can ask for book recommendations just like if you were talking to a librarian or someone from your favorite bookstore.

I’m reading The Time Traveler’s Wife right now, which gave me a good smile. 😂

You can specify even more details about what you’re looking for by the author.

Sometimes deciding where to jump into a new author is tough. Jules is here to help.

When Jules recommends a book, you can add it to your Want to Read list with one click.

We have many more plans for our chatbot, but we’re excited to see your thoughts. Try it now — and if you have any feedback about it, please join our Discord and let us know.

Side note: early internet users might compare Ask Jules to the search engine Ask Jeeves. We think they’d get along well together at the Ask convention.