Amazon expands AI capabilities with new personalized shopping features

In a significant expansion of its artificial intelligence capabilities, Amazon has introduced and enhanced several AI-powered shopping features over the past four months. These developments represent the company's ongoing strategy to transform the online shopping experience through advanced AI technologies.

Five days ago, on March 26, 2025, Amazon announced the launch of "Interests," an AI-powered feature designed to automatically find new products that match customers' passions and hobbies. According to Daniel Lloyd, Vice President of Personalization at Amazon, the Interests feature "works on your behalf to constantly watch out for new products in Amazon's store that match your interests."

The new feature enables customers to create personalized shopping prompts using natural language to describe their interests, price limits, and preferences. For example, users can input descriptions such as "Model building kits and accessories for hobbyist engineers and designers" or "Brewing tools and gadgets for coffee lovers."

Once a user creates these prompts, the Interests feature continuously scans Amazon's inventory to identify newly available products, restocks, and deals that align with the specified interests. The system then proactively notifies users about these matches.

The technology behind Interests employs large language models (LLMs) to translate everyday language into queries and attributes that can be processed by traditional search engines. For instance, when a user inputs "travel-friendly skincare products from premium brands," the system utilizes the LLM's knowledge base to interpret "premium brands" within the skincare category and generates relevant recommendations.

Currently, the Interests feature is available to a limited subset of U.S. customers using the Amazon mobile application (iOS and Android) and mobile website. Amazon has indicated plans to expand availability to all U.S. customers within the coming months.

Rufus: AI-powered shopping assistant

Preceding the Interests feature, Amazon expanded the availability of "Rufus," its AI-powered shopping assistant, to all U.S. customers on July 12, 2024. The rollout occurred just days before Amazon's Prime Day 2024, which took place on July 16-17.

Rufus functions as an "expert shopping assistant trained on Amazon's product catalog and information from across the web," according to Rajiv Mehta, Vice President of Search and Conversational Shopping at Amazon. The assistant utilizes a specialized large language model trained on Amazon's extensive product catalog, customer reviews, community Q&As, and web data.

Users can interact with Rufus by typing or speaking questions into the search bar of the Amazon Shopping app, which then displays a chat dialog box at the bottom of the screen. The AI assistant can answer a wide range of shopping-related queries, from general product research to specific product inquiries.

Key capabilities of Rufus include:

1. Product Research: Providing comprehensive information about product categories, such as "What should I consider when buying headphones?"
2. Occasion-Based Shopping: Offering recommendations for specific events or activities, like "What do I need for cold weather golf?"
3. Product Comparisons: Explaining differences between similar product types to facilitate informed decisions.
4. Personalized Recommendations: Suggesting products tailored to specific needs, such as "Best dinosaur toys for a 5-year-old."
5. Specific Product Inquiries: Answering questions about particular items while viewing product detail pages, drawing information from product listings, reviews, and Q&As.
6. Order Tracking and History Assistance: Helping with inquiries related to past and current orders.

During its beta phase, Rufus reportedly handled "tens of millions of questions." Amazon has implemented a feedback system allowing users to rate answers with a thumbs up or down and provide freeform feedback, which will be used to refine and improve the assistant over time.

Additional AI-powered shopping features

Beyond Interests and Rufus, Amazon has introduced several other AI-powered features designed to enhance the shopping experience:

1. AI Shopping Guides: Announced earlier this year, these guides simplify product research by leveraging generative AI to combine shopping guidance and product recommendations for over 100 product types.
2. Visual Search Features: Amazon has implemented new intuitive features that surface visual suggestions to enable faster and more precise product searches.
3. Review Highlights: AI technology is used to summarize key points from customer reviews, making it easier for shoppers to identify product strengths and potential issues.

Technical foundations and development approach

Amazon's implementation of these AI shopping features builds upon the company's 25-year history of investment in artificial intelligence technologies. According to Trishul Chilimbi, Vice President and Distinguished Scientist of Stores Foundational AI at Amazon, the company believes that "generative AI is going to change virtually all customer experiences that we know."

The technical architecture behind these features involves specialized large language models trained on Amazon's product catalog and information from across the web. These models are designed to understand natural language queries and translate them into actionable search parameters.

For instance, the Interests feature utilizes LLMs to automatically translate everyday language into queries and attributes that traditional search engines can process. This allows the system to interpret complex descriptive language and convert it into specific product recommendations.

Amazon acknowledges that, as with any new AI technology, there may be instances where the systems don't provide perfect responses. Early tests of Rufus revealed some limitations, including occasional inaccuracies in information and recommendations constrained to Amazon's catalog.

Privacy and data considerations

While Amazon has not explicitly addressed privacy and data usage concerns in their announcements of these AI features, the implementation of such systems inevitably raises questions about how user queries and interactions are processed and stored.

As these AI assistants process user queries and interact with personal data, Amazon will need to navigate the complex landscape of data protection regulations and user privacy expectations as these features become more widely used.

Competitive landscape and market impact

The introduction of these AI-powered shopping features positions Amazon at the forefront of AI-assisted shopping experiences among major e-commerce platforms. This development could prompt competitors to accelerate their own AI initiatives to remain competitive in the evolving e-commerce landscape.

The widespread adoption of AI shopping assistants like Rufus and features like Interests could have broader economic implications for online retail. If successful, these technologies could lead to more efficient shopping experiences, potentially increasing sales volumes and customer satisfaction.

However, these developments also raise questions about the influence of AI on consumer choices and the potential impact on smaller retailers and brands that may not have the resources to optimize their presence within AI-driven recommendation systems.

Future outlook

Amazon has indicated that it will continue to develop and refine its AI-powered shopping features based on customer feedback and technological advancements. The company states that it will "continue to look for ways to enhance our shopping experience, making it more convenient and enjoyable for customers."

As these features expand to more users and incorporate additional capabilities, they will likely play an increasingly significant role in shaping how consumers discover and purchase products online. The success or limitations of these AI assistants will provide valuable insights into the future direction of AI applications in retail and e-commerce.

Timeline of Amazon's recent AI shopping features

• March 26, 2025: Amazon announces the AI-powered "Interests" feature for personalized product discovery
• Early 2025: Amazon introduces AI Shopping Guides for over 100 product types
• Early 2025: New visual search features implemented to improve product search precision
• July 12, 2024: Rufus AI shopping assistant expanded to all U.S. customers
• Early 2024: Rufus initially introduced to a limited subset of U.S. customers

The rapid succession of these AI feature launches demonstrates Amazon's accelerated focus on integrating artificial intelligence throughout its shopping platform to enhance personalization, product discovery, and overall customer experience.