Amazon is reportedly testing a new AI assistant in its mobile app that can answer customer questions about specific products.
This feature appears to have been initially discovered by e-commerce research firm Marketplace Pulse. According to the company, the AI can be found in “Looking for specific information?” section on product pages. The LLM (Large Language Model) that powers the feature relies on listing details provided by businesses and user reviews to generate responses to queries. For example, you can ask if a particular sports shirt is good for running or if it fits a tall person. Marketplace Pulse claims that its main goal is to save people the hassle of having to read individual reviews by summarizing all the information present in a succinct block of text.
Because it's in the early stages, the AI assistant is limited in what it can do. You can't order it to compare two items or “look for alternatives.” Although it can't recommend specific products, the Amazon chatbot can make gentle suggestions. In another example, MarketPlace Pulse asked the app's assistant if e-bikes are good for dates. The AI said “not really” and recommended buying a tandem bike.
Quirks and unwanted features
There are several peculiarities that affect the chatbot. As expected, he is “prone [to] hallucinate misinformation” about an article. MarketPlace Pulse even claims that it flatly refused to “answer basic questions.” What's more, the assistant is capable of answering prompts that apparently “Amazon didn't create it for.”
You can generate Python code, write jokes about a product, or respond in languages other than English. CNBC had access to the test and reportedly managed to describe elements “in the style of Yoda from Star Wars.” Despite these capabilities, you can't have a regular conversation with the AI like you can with ChatGPT.
It is unknown how widespread testing is. We didn't have access on our phone. Amazon hasn't said anything official so far, but we reached out to the platform to ask for more information about the AI. We also asked Marketplace Pulse if it knows if the assistant is available to many people or only a select group. This story will be updated later.
Alexa update
Amazon's AI ambitions don't end there, as a Business Insider report reveals that the tech giant is currently working on a revamped, paid version of Alexa. The update is called Alexa Plus and is said to offer a “more conversational and personalized” experience similar to ChatGPT.
The team aims to launch Alexa Plus on June 30, according to the report. Unfortunately, development is not going well. A source with intimate knowledge told Business Insider that the renovation “is not meeting expectations.” The AI is reportedly hallucinating false information as the team has difficulty getting the technology to work properly. The project may also be causing a lot of infighting, with some arguing that people won't want to pay for another Amazon service.
At a glance, it looks like Alexa Plus might miss the June 30 deadline.
If you want your own digital companion, check out TechRadar's list of the best AI-powered virtual assistants.
