New Amazon Search Feature

Amazon is integrating artificial intelligence into its shopping tools to encourage purchases. It announced a new feature called "Interests," designed to provide a more personalized and conversational search experience. With this feature, customers can enter specific requests in the search bar that reflect their interests, preferences, and budget. For example, users might search for "model building kits and accessories for hobbyist engineers" or "brewing tools and gadgets for coffee lovers."

The Interests feature uses large language models (LLMs) to convert everyday language into queries that traditional search engines can understand, resulting in more relevant product suggestions. Additionally, the tool works in the background, notifying users when new items that match their interests become available. It also provides updates on relevant products, restocks, and deals.

Currently, Interests is available to a select group of users in the U.S. via the Amazon Shopping app on iOS and Android devices, as well as on the mobile website under the "Me" tab. The company plans to expand access to more U.S. customers in the coming months.

The Interests feature represents a natural progression for the tech giant as it continues to integrate AI into its app. This feature joins a host of AI-powered tools already on Amazon, including the AI shopping assistant Rufus, AI Shopping Guides, review summaries, and AI-generated product information. Additionally, several other companies are likely to follow this trend to enhance the shopping experience for customers, and some have already begun to do so. For instance, Google has recently upgraded its Shopping tab, introducing a tool called "Vision Match" that allows shoppers to describe a garment they envision, with the AI suggesting similar ideas based on the description. It also launched an AI summary tool to provide product information.