Amazon Dreams of AI Agents That Do the Shopping for You
Amazon might not have ChatGPT, but it has a roadmap that includes developing even more advanced forms of artificial intelligence—including AI agents that are hell-bent on helping you buy stuff.
The ecommerce company is already sprinkling ChatGPT-like AI over its website and apps—today announcing, among other enhancements, AI-generated shopping guides for hundreds of different product categories. Executives at the company say its engineers are also exploring more ambitious AI services, including autonomous AI shopping agents that recommend goods to a customer or even add items to their cart.
“It’s on our roadmap. We’re working on it, prototyping it, and when we think it’s good enough, we’ll release it in whatever form makes sense,” says Trishul Chilimbi, a VP and distinguished scientist at Amazon who works on applying the company’s core AI to its products and services.
Chilimbi says the first step toward AI agents will likely be chatbots that proactively recommend products based on what they know of your habits and interests, as well as a grasp of broader trends. He acknowledges that making this feel nonintrusive will be crucial. “If it’s no good and annoying, then you’ll tune it out,” he says. “But if it comes up with surprising things that are interesting, you’ll use it more.”
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