Amazon releases Rufus AI assistant for all shoppers in the US

Amazon has launched its AI-powered conversational shopping assistant, Rufus to all US customers. The tool was initially available in beta for select customers before it was made available for all shoppers in the US.

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In a blog post on Friday, the retailer announced that shoppers in the US can now try the product after it was tested on “tens of millions of questions.”

Rufus answers an array of questions about shopping

Amazon first announced Rufus in February. The AI-powered chatbot was trained on Amazon’s catalog, customer reviews, community questions and answers, and other public information on the web. However, Amazon has not revealed the specific data that was used to train the AI assistant.

The tool allows shoppers to ask questions about products, including recommendations when buying, as well as product comparisons. The tool can also provide information about “how well a product holds as described by customer review.” This is also based on the information pulled from the web. Writing in a blog post, Rajiv Mehta, vice president of search and conversational shopping at Amazon, said:

“We’re pleased to share that Rufus is now available to all US customers in the Amazon shopping app.”

According to Amazon, customers can ask questions about a product like material used, how to maintain a product like cleaning a particular gadget, or “Is this mascara a clean beauty product?” Shoppers can also go straight to product reviews from other customers by tapping “What do customers say?” They can also ask specific questions, like when they should get their orders delivered.

Amazon further claimed that Rufus provides an array of information that enhances customers’ shopping experiences in many ways. “Customers have fast, easy access to package tracking with Rufus and are asking questions such as ‘Where is my order?’” Mehta.

How to get and use the Amazon Rufus tool

Per the announcement, shoppers should first ensure they have the latest version of the Amazon Shopping app, then tap the Rufus icon in the navigation bar. A Rufus chat box will appear. Shoppers can begin the conversation by asking their shopping questions . Rufus also has a list of suggested questions and shoppers can tap on any of those to get the conversation going.

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Mehta said Rufus does not provide shopping information alone but can help customers prepare their shopping lists. For instance, customers can ask how to make a particular dish or how to prepare for a party.

Rufus can also provide more than just product information. For instance, when a customer asked the shopping assistant about a pool umbrella for Florida, the tool provided more information, including weather patterns in Florida, humidity, and more.

Amazon has indicated it will continue to improve the tool. According to TechCrunch , while Rufus proved to be a “decent shopping companion” during trials, it also did not get everything right. The tool is also limited to the Amazon catalog only, which “could compromise the quality of its recommendations, at times.