SEATTLE—Amazon is testing a new generative AI-powered audio feature that delivers short-form product summaries. The feature aims to make online shopping faster, easier, and more convenient for customers. Currently available to a subset of U.S. users, it synthesizes information from product pages, customer reviews, and web data to provide audio highlights for select items.
Tapping into the growing trend of voice technology and conversational AI, users can now click the “Hear the highlights” button in the Amazon Shopping app to listen to quick overviews of products. The summaries are designed to replicate the experience of a knowledgeable friend talking through the pros and cons—ideal for customers who are multitasking or seeking to save time.
According to Rajiv Mehta, Vice President of Search and Conversational Shopping at Amazon, “These AI shopping experts have done the research for you, analyzing product details, customer reviews, and information from across the web, then bringing product details to life and allowing customers to simply hear the highlights.”
The initial rollout focuses on items that typically require thoughtful consideration before purchase, such as tech gadgets, home goods, and personal care products. Some featured items include the SHOKZ OpenRun Pro headphones, the OSEA Undaria Algae Body Oil, and the Ninja Blender.
The feature uses large language models (LLMs) to generate scripts, pulling from Amazon’s product catalog, customer reviews, and web information, translating the content into short-form audio clips. AI-powered short-form audio content builds on Amazon’s work to make shopping faster, easier, and more fun.
Some of the AI-powered shopping features that help customers save time and make more informed decisions include:
- Rufus, Amazon’s generative AI-powered shopping assistant that can answer questions on a variety of shopping needs and products—it’s like having a shopping assistant with you any time you’re in our store.
- Shopping Guides, Amazon’s simplified product research tool that leverages generative AI to bring together dynamic shopping guidance and product recommendations on over 100 product types.
- Interests, an AI-powered feature that works on your behalf to continuously monitor new products in Amazon’s store that match your interests and passions.
- Review highlights, an AI-powered summary of common themes across reviews that can help you understand product sentiment at a glance.
- Buy for Me, a new experiment in beta that allows you to complete purchases from other brand retailer websites if Amazon doesn’t sell the item directly, using agentic AI that doesn’t require human intervention.
The company also teased future expansions, including broader product coverage and a wider rollout across the U.S. Mehta added, “We’ll continue to look for ways to enhance the shopping experience, making it more convenient and enjoyable for customers.”
