The new Amazon AI guides anticipate your purchases before you decide.
"Psychic or artificial intelligence?"
Amazon has incorporated artificial intelligence into a new dimension of its online shopping experience with the launch of AI Shopping Guides. This innovative feature aims to simplify product research by using generative AI models that act as personalized companions during the search. Currently, it is available on Amazon's website and mobile app, but only in the United States, and covers over 100 product categories.
The functionality of AI Shopping Guides begins with a standard search for an item. In addition to the usual list, an AI guide will appear if one exists for the selected category. When opening this guide, the user will find a curated collection of information generated by the AI about the products, which includes basic data, charts comparing different specifications, and reviews from previous buyers.
These AI models generate guides by analyzing the information Amazon has about the available products and the reviews it has received, creating their own descriptions. Furthermore, they rewrite technical terms that could be confusing for the user. Based on their analysis of the products and the user's search and purchase history, the AI also provides personalized recommendations. A noteworthy aspect of this tool is that, by continuously scanning product listings, the AI Shopping Guides are constantly updated with the arrival of new items and the removal or updating of others.
Additionally, these guides complement Amazon's chatbot Rufus, which offers AI-driven research and recommendations. Rufus allows the AI Shopping Guides to be interactive, answering follow-up questions and further personalizing the user's search. Thus, if a customer has doubts about two similar products, Rufus not only compares them but also relates them to other products from categories that the user has previously purchased.
On the other hand, some of Rufus's suggestions are based on advertisements paid for by companies, which may influence the recommendations provided. Amazon has also expressed its intention to further personalize recommendations by using, with the appropriate permission, data from Gmail and YouTube.
