Amazon is broadening the reach of its AI-powered shopping assistant, Rufus, by making it available in more countries across Europe and the Americas. This move demonstrates Amazon’s commitment to advancing in the AI arena alongside other major tech players, especially in response to the recent surge in generative AI technology. Rufus provides users with features such as product search assistance, comparisons, and personalized shopping recommendations.
Rufus is designed to respond to natural language questions using Amazon’s extensive data resources, including product catalogs, customer reviews, and public data. For example, shoppers can ask Rufus to suggest gifts for young children or compare various coffee makers. The assistant is accessible within the Amazon Shopping app by updating to the latest version and selecting the chatbot icon in the bottom-right corner.
Originally tested in the U.S. earlier this year, Rufus was formally launched after a five-month trial period. Following its initial U.S. rollout, the AI assistant was introduced in beta in the U.K. and India. Now, Amazon has extended Rufus to additional markets, including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain.
Rufus is part of Amazon’s broader AI initiatives. The company has recently launched AI tools to assist sellers in creating product descriptions and listing details. Additionally, Amazon has committed $230 million to support AI startups, further signaling its investment in generative AI.
Amazon acknowledges that Rufus is still evolving and may occasionally provide inaccurate responses, a common limitation of many current AI tools. However, the company is continuously refining the assistant to improve its accuracy and helpfulness.
This expansion underscores Amazon’s efforts to remain competitive in e-commerce AI technology, enhancing customer experience with tools designed to simplify shopping and make product searches more intuitive.
