This week, Amazon announced Rufus, an AI-powered shopping assistant integrated into the Amazon mobile app. Rufus is trained on the e-commerce giant’s product catalog and information from around the web, helping users find products, compare them, and get recommendations on what to buy.
However, the need for AI shopping assistants like Rufus is in question. A Pew Research Center survey found that despite the popularity of GenAI chatbot ChatGPT, only 26% of adults in the U.S. have tried it. This reflects the lack of universally compelling reasons to use GenAI products.
Despite the potential of AI shopping assistants, a poll from ecommerce software startup Namogoo revealed that product images, reviews, and descriptions are the most important factors to consumers in online shopping. The implication is that most people shop with a specific product in mind, making search capabilities less significant.
Other recent AI stories of note include Google Maps experimenting with GenAI, new open AI models, the FCC’s move to ban AI-generated calls, and Shopify’s release of a GenAI media editor for product images.
In the world of AI research, Yale researchers have explored an AI’s ability to identify “typical” or “common sense” patterns in data, while the startup Latimer aims to develop AI models that are more inclusive and accurate in their responses.
There have also been advancements in AI’s practical applications, such as Purdue University’s realistic tree growth simulation using AI, and a robot from Cambridge University researchers that reads braille faster than a human with 90% accuracy.
Stay updated with the latest developments in AI and machine learning to stay ahead in this rapidly evolving industry.
