Amazon’s new AI assistant for online shoppers

Amazon, the e-commerce giant, has introduced a new AI-powered assistant for online shoppers in the US. The assistant, named Rufus, is designed to help customers find and discover the best products for their needs, by answering their questions, providing comparisons, and making recommendations based on conversational context.

Rufus is trained using information from Amazon’s extensive product catalog, customer reviews, community Q&As, and information from across the web. It uses generative AI technology, which can create natural language responses from scratch, rather than relying on predefined templates or scripts.

Customers can access Rufus by tapping on the microphone icon on the top right corner of the Amazon mobile app, and then asking their shopping-related queries. For example, they can ask Rufus what to consider when buying a laptop, what are the differences between various models, or how to choose the best one for their budget and preferences. Rufus will then provide relevant and helpful answers, along with links to the products on Amazon’s store.

Rufus can also handle more specific questions, such as the features, ratings, reviews, availability, or delivery options of a particular product. It can also compare multiple products based on various criteria, such as price, performance, quality, or customer feedback. Rufus can also suggest alternative or complementary products, based on the customer’s needs and interests.

Rufus is currently available in beta to a small subset of customers in the US, and will be gradually rolled out to more customers in the coming weeks. Amazon says that Rufus is part of its ongoing efforts to use AI to improve customer experiences and make shopping easier and more convenient.

Amazon has launched Rufus, an AI-powered assistant for online shoppers in the US. Rufus can answer customer questions, provide comparisons, and make recommendations based on conversational context. Rufus is trained on Amazon’s product catalog and web information, and uses generative AI technology to create natural language responses. Rufus is accessible on the Amazon mobile app, and is currently in beta.

 Customer data privacy is an important issue for any AI-powered service, especially one that involves shopping and personal preferences. Unfortunately, I could not find any official statement from Amazon about how Rufus handles customer data privacy.  I can infer some possible scenarios:

Rufus may collect and store customer data, such as voice recordings, chat transcripts, product preferences, and purchase history, to improve its performance and accuracy. This data may be shared with third-party vendors or advertisers, who may use it to target customers with relevant offers or ads. Rufus may also use customer data to personalize the shopping experience, such as by suggesting products based on previous purchases or interests.

Rufus may not collect or store any customer data, but instead use a secure and encrypted connection to access Amazon’s product catalog and web information. Rufus may only use customer data temporarily, during the chat session, and then delete it afterwards. Rufus may not share any customer data with third-party vendors or advertisers, and may not use customer data to personalize the shopping experience, but instead rely on general criteria and algorithms to provide answers and recommendations.


Online shopping can be convenient and fun, but it also comes with some risks. Here are some tips to help you shop safely online:

Use a VPN to protect your online activity from hackers and snoopers. A VPN encrypts your data and hides your IP address, making it harder for anyone to track or intercept your online transactions. You can use a VPN on your computer, smartphone, or tablet.

Use a password manager to create and store strong passwords for your online accounts. A password manager generates unique and complex passwords that are hard to guess or crack. It also saves you the hassle of remembering and typing your passwords every time you shop online.

Use strong passwords for your online accounts and change them regularly. A strong password is at least 12 characters long and contains a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols. It is also different from your other passwords and not based on any personal information. You should change your passwords every few months or whenever you suspect a breach.