The news: Amazon unveiled a series of generative AI (genAI) tools to help simplify operations for sellers and improve the shopping experience.

They include:

• Project Amelia, an AI assistant that can answer sellers’ questions, quickly pull up information on sales, traffic, and other metrics, and—eventually—offer personalized (and potentially automated) support for account issues
• More advanced genAI product listing capabilities, including the ability to generate multiple listings at the same time so merchants can start selling faster
• GenAI-powered video creation for Amazon Ads, which allows advertisers to generate “visually rich” content that showcases an item’s features and selling points from a single product image
• Personalized product recommendations and descriptions, including personalized recommendations categories that are more specific and tailored to consumers’ shopping behaviors, as well as highlighting frequent search terms (like “gluten free”) in relevant products

The big picture: Amazon is making a public effort to fold genAI into every part of its business as it tries to combat the perception of lagging behind its Big Tech competitors.

• That includes touting the role genAI is playing in speeding up delivery. The retailer is relying on the technology to make better decisions about where to allocate inventory, optimize delivery routes, and train its warehouse robots, Steve Armato, Amazon’s vice president of transportation technology and services, told CNBC.
• Amazon is also bringing the tech to consumer-facing situations—most notably with its AI shopping assistant Rufus, which can answer a broad array of questions tied to consumers’ specific needs or purposes, compare products, or assist in product research.
• Per CEO Andy Jassy, genAI powers the company’s efforts to help customers discover music and video content, identify defective products before they’re shipped, and make Alexa smarter.
• That’s on top of the wide array of genAI and machine learning features the retailer rolled out on AWS as it tries to keep pace with Microsoft and Google.

Our take: Amazon’s genAI investments are not just a good PR move; they also help the retailer deliver on its goal of improving the customer experience, in addition to making life easier for sellers.

That said, while Amazon is clearly bullish on genAI, it has significant ground to make up—which will require it to continue plowing money into the field.

Go further: Check out our newest report series on Unlocking the Power of GenAI.