This week at the Amazon Accelerate event, Amazon announced a suite of generative AI tools to enhance the shopping experience. Based on how much I shop, the verdict is still out if this is something I should celebrate.
The AI assistant, codename Project Amelia, is now in beta and available to U.S. sellers. Let me explain why this is exciting news for consumers.
You might remember that earlier this year we were introduced to “Rufus,” a chatbot that lives at the bottom right of the navigation bar in the Amazon app and offers suggestions, product comparisons and recommendations.
If you haven’t given it a whirl, try it. Good ol’ Rufus has helped me make some buying decisions that I didn’t even run by my husband. Shhh…
But now that sellers have a toolbox of innovative solutions with the AI Project Amelia, the shopping experience for customers should be even better. Generative AI comes into play for a number of important seller needs such as resolving supply chain issues, anticipating needs within the storefront, and improving customer service.
For shoppers, that means less time waiting for something to come back in stock and getting immediate answers to your questions (i.e. is this a child-sized Fortnite costume or adult?) without waiting on a human to respond.
Although designed for sellers, Project Amelia could improve the platform and help it deliver a more intuitive and tailored shopping experience.
What's next for Amazon AI?
Amazon has looked to AI increasingly as a way to improve their site in a variety of avenues. For example, AI-generated summaries of product reviews give a rundown of what customers are saying about products so you don't have to read all the reviews. Amelia will make it easier for sellers to write listings and generate images for their ads. Additionally, Amazon’s vast AI infrastructure helps customers find exactly what they need through conversational AI, and offers a more detailed, real-time shopping experience with recommendations on the homepage.
In an effort to streamline purchasing patterns and target you with the right ads on social media, Amazon wants to seamlessly support you as you shop online. These enhancements are likely to expand further in the future, letting you cut down on the use of third-party apps to find exactly what you're looking for on the site.
Conclusion
Clearly, Amazon wants us to shop ‘til we drop, but now AI will ensure that sellers perfect the experience until we do. With Amazon leveraging its massive AI capabilities to give us more convenience, we may not only save time and money, but the experience could be more enjoyable.
As these technologies continue to evolve, we can expect even more sophisticated shopping tools that further blur the line between browsing and buying.
More from Tom's Guide
- LinkedIn is scraping your data to train AI — here’s how to opt-out
- I asked ChatGPT Voice to tell me a true crime story — the results were scary
- YouTube reveals new AI capabilities — here's how they work
