Amazon’s AI shopping assistant Rufus is live for all U.S. customers

Amazon rolled out its AI-powered shopping assistant, Rufus, to all U.S. customers in its mobile app.

Why it matters. This move signals Amazon’s push into AI-assisted shopping, potentially transforming how consumers interact with ecommerce platforms.

How it works.

• Rufus uses a specialized large language model (LLM) trained on Amazon’s product catalog, customer reviews and web data.
• Customers can ask questions about products, comparisons and buying considerations.
• The AI can provide suggestions for specific tasks or projects.

Why we care. Rufus may change how shoppers discover and research products, potentially altering the customer journey and how it allows advertisers to target customers on Amazon ads.

By the numbers.

• Tested across “tens of millions of questions” during beta.
• Available to Amazon’s entire U.S. customer base.

Key features. Rufus offers:

• Product recommendations and comparisons.
• Insights from customer reviews and expert analysis.
• Updates on fashion trends and the latest tech.
• Assistance with past and current orders.

Yes, but. Early tests show Rufus doesn’t always provide accurate information and its recommendations are limited to Amazon’s catalog.

What’s next. Amazon plans to continue improving Rufus over time.