In a recent announcement, Amazon has introduced its latest AI-powered shopping assistant named Rufus, sharing the moniker with the company’s beloved corgi mascot. Rufus is designed to enhance the shopping experience by providing users with information about products, comparisons, suggestions, and more.
Currently in its beta phase, Rufus is accessible to a select group of customers before its wider release in the coming weeks. Those granted beta access can engage with Rufus by initiating a chat within the Amazon mobile app. By typing or speaking questions into the search bar, users can interact with Rufus, who appears in a chat window at the bottom of the screen. This window can be expanded to view answers, select suggested questions, or pose additional inquiries.
Amazon initiated Rufus’ capabilities earlier this month, integrating the AI chatbot onto product pages for certain users. Rufus is equipped to address a variety of questions, ranging from inquiries about product differences to recommendations for occasions such as Valentine’s Day. Users can also seek information about specific products listed on Amazon, receiving responses based on product details, customer reviews, and community Q&As.
Despite potential concerns about increased screen clutter, as demonstrated in the embedded video, suggested questions for Rufus may appear during simple searches, such as “coffee maker.” While opinions about additional on-screen content vary, the effectiveness and utility of Rufus will ultimately be assessed as more users gain access to the beta version in the coming weeks.
