Amazon is integrating artificial intelligence algorithms into its search bar, which is considered some of the most valuable real estate in retail. The company has introduced Alexa for Shopping, a new personalized AI shopping assistant that replaces the previous Rufus assistant.
This e-commerce bot is designed to answer queries and take actions on behalf of users. Depending on the context, queries typed into Amazon's website and mobile app will provide product comparisons or suggestions generated by AI large language models.
Starting this week, the assistant will be available in the main search flow for US customers using Amazon.com or the mobile app. This move arrives as Amazon sues to keep external AI agents, such as Perplexity’s Comet, off its marketplace.