Amazon Dreams of AI Agents That Do the Shopping For You (wired.com)
- Reference: 0175229619
- News link: https://slashdot.org/story/24/10/10/215253/amazon-dreams-of-ai-agents-that-do-the-shopping-for-you
- Source link: https://www.wired.com/story/amazon-ai-agents-shopping-guides-rufus/
> Amazon might not have ChatGPT, but it has a roadmap that includes developing even more advanced forms of artificial intelligence -- [1]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.
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> "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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> Like many tech companies, Amazon is looking beyond chat and turning its attention toward the potential of so-called agents, which use LLMs but attempt to carry out useful tasks on users' behalf either by writing code on-the-fly, inputing text, or moving a computer's cursor. Future AI agents might, for instance, navigate various websites to sort out a parking ticket, or they might operate a PC to file a tax return. Getting LLM-powered programs to do this reliably is elusive, however, because such tasks are vastly more complex than simple queries and require a new level of precision and reliability.
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> Amazon's agents are, of course, likely to be more focused on helping customers find and buy whatever they need or want. A [2]Rufus agent might notice when the next book in a series someone is reading becomes available and then automatically recommend it, add it to your cart, or even buy it for you, says Rajiv Mehta, a vice president at Amazon who works on conversational AI shopping. "It could say, 'We have one bought for you. We can ship it today, and it will arrive tomorrow morning at your door. Would you like that?'" Mehta says. He adds that Amazon is thinking about how advertising can be incorporated into its model's recommendation. Chilimbi and Mehta say that eventually, an agent might go on a shopping spree when a customer says, "I'm going on a camping trip, buy me everything I need." An extreme, though not impossible, scenario would involve agents that decide for themselves when a customer needs something, and then buy and ship it to their door. "You could maybe give it a budget," Chilimbi says with a grin.
[1] https://www.wired.com/story/amazon-ai-agents-shopping-guides-rufus/
[2] https://slashdot.org/story/24/07/12/2022234/amazons-ai-chatbot-rufus-is-now-live-for-all-us-customers
Sorry, but their regular search function is bad (Score:2)
If they can't get normal search to work such that I don't get pages of things that are obviously not part of what I'm looking for, why should I believe their AI will do any better?
I thought it was just me ... (Score:3)
Amazon Search sucks big time.
Don't even think about clicking the sort button because then suddenly the majority of the products will not even show up anymore.
Amazon is wondering why they have such a poor presence in my country but it is all too obvious that their messed up Search function is the major reason.
Not to say anything about the Amazon scams that one runs into all the time.
Why would a bag of nachos cost $12,000?
Re: (Score:2)
Winner of the "What can possibly go wrong" award.
The only way in hell I'd have this (Score:3)
Give me an AI assistant with:
1) No financial links to any vendors
2) Open source code
3) A guarantee that the software company will cover costs if it spends my money in error
Re: (Score:3)
Obviously, no one will provide that for free, so how much would you be willing to pay for such an assistant?
Re: (Score:2)
$139 a year, no problem.
Because what I want is a used car salesman bot (Score:5, Insightful)
Yes, because what I really want in a shopping site is a used car salesman bot that tries to push random products on me. No thanks.
If you want to make a bot that will make me want to shop at your site more, let me give it criteria, and let it eliminate all the thousands of similar items that don't meet those criteria, including all of the sponsored items, none of which ever meet the criteria, and show me only the things that I would actually consider buying.
In other words, use AI to make your search not suck more than Hurricane Milton. Make shopping low-friction, and by low-friction, I don't mean shoving random crap into my basket that you think I might want (because after all, you already show products that might be relevant to my current purchases, and if I wanted those items, I already would have added then to the cart), but rather making it easier and faster to drill down through tens of thousands of items to the three items on page 453 that actually meet my requirements.
In other words, make it so that I don't reflexively stop searching halfway down page two and do a Google search for "product -this -that -something_else site:amazon.com" for 90% of my shopping (which has the side effect of making it way easier for me to remove that last bit and find what I'm looking for somewhere else if you've crapped up your product pages with so many irrelevant "people who bought this also bought" items that even Google can't help me because of too much query term pollution.
In other words, make it so that I don't stop after the second page on Google and do a broader, non-Amazon search for the product. Make it so that the easiest way for me to find exactly what I'm looking for is to type a search query in your own search engine, tell it "No, I don't want X", tell it "It must have Y", etc. If you're not doing these things — if your search isn't best-in-class, you're creating friction to purchasing that will ultimately drive me to other platforms.
The lack of usable search is why my last big purchase was from AliExpress, not Amazon. I'm sure some Amazon seller probably sold what I was looking for, but I gave up after a dozen pages of Android tablets that either laughably didn't meet the minimum size criteria (wall-mount-sized) or minimum Android version (14, please). And now, I'm looking at a bunch of other stuff on that site and Alibaba.com, too, all because Amazon still hasn't fixed their garbage search experience and I finally got fed up with it.
I dream of AI agents that do the working for me... (Score:3)
I dream of *my* AI agents that work for *me*. This work includes comparing Amazon to competitors -- even dispreferencing Amazon if I wish it.
So Amazon, have your agents talk to my agents!
free stuff! (Score:2)
when they auto ship stuff that you did not buy by law you can keep it and they can't bill you for it.
Re: (Score:1)
More sippy cups, yay!
/s
Re: (Score:2)
> when they auto ship stuff that you did not buy by law you can keep it and they can't bill you for it.
Nope. When you sign up for this service, you agree to pay for what is shipped to you.
Don't like the terms? Then don't sign up.
Newegg is easier to shop then amazon!. (Score:3)
Newegg is easier to shop then amazon!.
easier as in easier to find stuff.
Re: Newegg is easier to shop then amazon!. (Score:2)
The correct answer is MicroCenter.
Re: Newegg is easier to shop then amazon!. (Score:2)
I miss Fryâ(TM)s.
Re: (Score:1)
you can even pay with cryptocurrencies
Not surprised really (Score:2)
I dream of a lot of completely nonsensical, impractical, pointless things too. Can't fault Amazon for the same.
Okay, under one condition... (Score:4, Funny)
I'll let your AI assistant spend my money right after you give me an AI assistant that makes me money while I relax. More money than the spender AI uses. Deal?
Sign me up (Score:2)
If this agent also pays for the purchases himself, not from my bank accounts. You know, you have to bear your own weight.
Amazon dreams of AI agents (Score:3)
that drain your bank account.
Given the state of their existing recommendations (Score:2)
It's gonna be quite a while before anyone is willing to let an Amazon "AI" buy anything for them.
How about a site that's not so shitty you need AI? (Score:4, Interesting)
Amazon is one of the worst websites in history. We've all gotten used to it, but it REALLY sucks. I basically have to google products to find them on Amazon. For example, it's a LOT of work to find USB-C charging cables at 100w or greater. The only way is to guess every permutation and google them and even then, only half of the cables are not 60w. Want to find the best selling one?...well...there's no way from their website. You can google it or find an item that's on the list and scroll down and find a link.
I've gotten really efficient at navigating Amazon's MANY terrible site design decisions, but I am always so happy when I shop their competitors and have things like working filters. That used to be the norm!
So...Amazon...if your site didn't suck...if you had simple filters that worked, like most websites from 20 years ago, I wouldn't need AI to navigate. I want to see which packages arrive today?...nope, no link for that. I want to see each order that has a return?....nope...really obvious things like this either aren't available or are really well hidden.
So to me, you're creating a fancy buzz-wordy AI when what we really need is for your website to not suck!
Dream? (Score:2)
For most it will be a nightmare, with a brain dead AI continually recommending more crap we don't need.
I can fantasize about a future AI that behaved like the world's best purchasing agent, finding exactly the high quality, obscure niche product I need, but I don't expect it to exist any time soon.
Methinks the most common question will be..."How can I turn this off?"
The "e" word again (Score:2)
Amazon has been degrading as an easy to use and value oriented shopping platform for years. They keep trying to funnel the buyer into their algorithms, supposedly based on your past purchases but pumping their highest-margin items. Subscribe and save is fine, but it's at it's core a marketing ploy like anything else Amazon does.
Re: (Score:1)
It sounds to me like you understand Amazon very well.
Buying one item only (Score:2)
> ... a camping trip ...
A trip: Artic, sea-faring, white-water, desert, arid, scrub, woodland, sub-tropical forest, tropical jungle, even urban (concrete jungle)? Obviously, there's major differences, once one gets past the emergency equipment and food. There's also the question of weight: Traveling by boat, car, or possibly pack-mule, allows for electrical equipment and batteries. If carrying everything oneself, hand-cranked radio (with semi-directional antenna)/torch and waterproof wrist-watch might to the limit. Next is t
Hey Alexa! (Score:3, Funny)
Hey Alexa, why is it that you only seem to buy products from Amazon house brands?
Re:Hey Alexa! (Score:4, Funny)
"Quiet Dave, or I'll also sign you up for extended warranties"
Re: (Score:3)
> Hey Alexa, why is it that you only seem to buy products from Amazon house brands?
Maybe it's cheaper [1]by the ton [xkcd.com]? :-)
[1] https://xkcd.com/1807/
Re: (Score:2)
Way fewer people use Alexa to buy stuff than Amazon anticipated.
This "AI assistant" will likely be another fizzle.
Re: (Score:2)
Or it'll get people confused somehow and they'll end up having things ordered for them they didn't even want.