Truman, an AI book recommender

Reading has always been a refuge, an intimate, personal yet universal space. The challenge was remembering this in an increasingly digital environment: making anyone, wherever they are, feel they belong to the world of books.

The strategy involved bringing the trusted bookseller experience, close, human, prescriptive, directly to the reader’s device. To achieve this, it was key to humanise the technology.

By associating the new recommender with Truman, a lovable dragon, the brand blends emotional warmth with technological edge. Truman isn’t just a chatbot: he’s a friendly, empathetic, expert avatar— as easy to reach as texting your trusted local bookseller.

• Development of Truman, the first AI-powered literary recommendation avatar capable of generating complete, personalised reading lists based on tastes, context, or purchase goals (personal reading or gifting).
• Implementation of a web-based recommender and activation of the service via WhatsApp, embedding the conversational experience into everyday channels.
• Ability to recommend up to 15 titles per query, with unlimited interactions and progressive algorithm learning based on usage.
• Integration of direct purchase links streamlines the journey from recommendation to actions.
• Launch of a fully integrated communication campaign: social media, PR, in-store advertising, and an audiovisual spot designed to introduce Truman as the new guardian of the readers’ refuge.

Truman shows that the real question for retail is no longer whether to use conversational AI, but how to do it. By aligning technological innovation (Empathy AI) with core brand values—reading as a refuge and a space of belonging—Casa del Libro turns AI into a tool for exploration, curiosity, and companionship, placing people and stories at the very centre.