Amazon has adopted artificial intelligence (AI) to aid users in finding the right products. The online retailer has recently initiated testing of a feature within its shopping app that employs AI to summarize customer reviews for certain products.
This feature provides a concise overview of what shoppers appreciated and disliked about the product, with a disclaimer that states the summary is “AI-generated from the text of customer reviews.”
For instance, a mobile listing for a children’s toy called “Magic Mixies” cauldron highlights positive feedback regarding its fun factor, appearance, value, performance, quality, charging, and leakage. However, the summary indicates that the majority of customers expressed negative opinions on these aspects, such as some customers paying over $100 for a toy that wasn’t worth it and others experiencing issues with quality and charging.
Mark Wieczorek, the technology chief of Amazon marketing agency Fortress Brand, first spotted this feature. Amazon has confirmed that it is testing the functionality but did not disclose specific details about how it works or the AI models utilized to generate the text summaries.
According to Amazon spokesperson Lindsay Shanahan, the company is making significant investments in generative AI across all of its businesses. Amazon has long relied on AI and machine learning for targeted ads and personalized recommendations.
The growing interest in generative AI and large language models has prompted companies like Amazon to focus more on these technologies. In April, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy mentioned that generative AI and large language models have the potential to transform and enhance almost every customer experience.
Amazon’s use of AI to summarize product reviews reflects its broader strategy to innovate and enhance customer experiences. This approach aligns with its efforts across multiple business areas, including the Amazon Affiliate Program which often gets compared to Walmart’s in terms of reach and benefits. For instance, innovations like these further differentiate Amazon’s platform in a competitive retail landscape.
Using AI to summarize product reviews can be beneficial for shoppers. With millions of products available on Amazon’s online store and thousands of reviews for a single item, this feature streamlines the review process.
Amazon has introduced various measures to facilitate product reviews, including the one-tap rating system that enables users to leave feedback without composing a full review. Additionally, some shoppers have utilized chatbots to write reviews on Amazon.
Trust has been a persistent concern on Amazon, as the site and other online marketplaces have been plagued by fraudulent reviews. To combat this issue, many companies employ a combination of human moderators and automated tools to identify and remove fake reviews.
