Amazon is testing a new AI assistant to answer your questions while you shop
Amazon is reportedly testing a new AI assistant on its mobile app that can answer customer questions about specific products.
This feature appears to have been initially discovered by an e-commerce research firm Marktplaatspuls. According to the company, the AI can be found under the heading “Looking for specific information?” section on product pages. The LLM (large language model) that powers the feature relies on the listing data and user reviews provided by companies to generate answers to questions. For example, you can ask whether a particular training shirt is suitable for running or whether it fits a tall person well. Marketplace Pulse states that its main goal is to save people the trouble of reading individual reviews by summarizing all the information present in a concise block of text.
Because it’s still in its early stages, the AI assistant is limited in what it can do. You can’t tell him to compare two items or “find alternatives.” While it can’t recommend specific products, Amazon’s chatbot can make gentle suggestions. In another example, MarketPlace Pulse asked the app assistant whether e-bikes are good for romantic dates. The AI said “not really” and recommended buying a tandem bike instead.
Oddities and unintended functions
There are several quirks that affect the chatbot. Unsurprisingly, it “tends to hallucinate misinformation” about an item. MarketPlace Pulse even claims that it outright refused to “answer basic questions.” Furthermore, the assistant is able to answer prompts that “Amazon apparently didn’t build it for.”
It can generate Python code, write jokes about a product, or respond in languages other than English. CNBC had access to the test and was reportedly successful at describing items “in the style of Yoda from Star Wars.” Despite these capabilities, you cannot have a regular conversation with the AI like you can with ChatGPT.
It is not known how widespread the test is. We had no access on our phone. Amazon hasn’t said anything official yet, but we reached out to the platform and asked for more information about the AI. We also asked Marktplaats Pulse whether they know whether the assistant is available to many people or only to a select group. This story will be updated at a later date.
Alexa upgrade
Amazon’s AI ambitions don’t stop there report from Business Insider reveals that the technology giant is currently working on a renewed and paid version of Alexa. The upgrade is called Alexa Plus, which is said to offer a “more conversational and personalized” experience, similar to ChatGPT.
According to the report, the team aims to launch Alexa Plus on June 30. Unfortunately, development is not going smoothly. A source with in-depth knowledge told Business Insider that the refresh “does not meet expectations.” The AI is reportedly hallucinating false information as the team struggles to get the technology to work properly. The project could also cause a lot of internal strife, with some claiming that people don’t want to pay for another Amazon service.
At a glance, it looks like Alexa Plus could miss the June 30 deadline.
If you want your own digital sidekick, check out Ny Breaking’s list of the best AI-powered virtual assistants.