Illustration of the Amazon Shopping app shown on a mobile phone screen in front of the old, left, and new, right, Amazon Shopping app icon displayed on the screen.
Artur Vidak | Nour Photo | Getty Images
Amazon on Thursday announced a new AI assistant for shopping called Rufus.
The tool is designed to help users search and shop for products. Shoppers type or speak a question into the search bar in the Amazon mobile app and a chat window will appear at the bottom of their screen. Users can ask chat questions like, “What are the differences between trail and trail running shoes?” Or “Compare drip and pour-over coffee makers.”
“Rufus improves how easy it is for customers to find and discover the best products that meet their needs.” he said in a blog post.
Rufus uses Amazon's product catalog, customer reviews, Q&As, as well as information from around the web to answer questions, the company said.
Amazon said it is testing the feature with a small subset of users in the United States, but intends to roll it out nationwide in the coming weeks.
CEO Andy Jassy said the company plans to integrate generative AI throughout its business. Amazon will likely provide an update on its AI efforts when it reports fourth-quarter earnings after the bell on Thursday.
Amazon has launched several AI tools and services in recent months, capitalizing on the hype generated by OpenAI's ChatGPT. The company tested artificial intelligence tools to answer shoppers' questions and summarize reviews, in addition to an artificial intelligence feature to help third-party sellers write listings. Beyond its retail business, Amazon has introduced Q, a chatbot for businesses, and Bedrock, a generative AI service for cloud clients.
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