In an effort to enhance the shopping experience for its users, Amazon has started utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The e-commerce giant is currently testing a new feature within its shopping app that leverages AI to summarize customer reviews for select products. This feature provides a concise overview of the positive and negative aspects of the product based on customer feedback. However, Amazon clarifies that these summaries are generated by AI using the text from customer reviews, ensuring transparency to users.
According to a mobile listing for the children’s toy “Magic Mixies” cauldron, customer feedback indicates positive aspects such as the toy’s fun factor, appearance, value, performance, quality, charging, and lack of leakage. However, the summary points out that the majority of customers have expressed negative opinions regarding these aspects. For instance, some customers have reported dissatisfaction after spending over $100 on a toy that didn’t meet their expectations. Additionally, others have encountered issues related to the toy’s quality and charging functionality.
The introduction of this feature was initially observed by Mark Wieczorek, the technology chief of Fortress Brand, an Amazon marketing agency. Amazon has confirmed that they are indeed testing this feature; however, they have not disclosed specific details regarding the inner workings or the AI models employed to generate text and summarize reviews. According to Amazon spokesperson Lindsay Shanahan, the company is making substantial investments in generative AI across all its business sectors.
Over the years, Amazon has heavily relied on AI and machine learning to provide personalized recommendations and targeted advertisements to its customers. However, the growing interest and excitement surrounding generative AI and chatbot technologies like OpenAI’s ChatGPT have prompted companies, including Amazon, to intensify their efforts in this area. Amazon’s CEO, Andy Jassy, highlighted in April that generative AI and large language models have the potential to revolutionize and enhance nearly every aspect of the customer experience. This acknowledgment underscores Amazon’s commitment to leveraging these advancements to deliver even better services to its customers.
Leveraging AI to summarize reviews has the potential to greatly benefit shoppers, considering the vast number of products available on Amazon’s online store and the multitude of reviews associated with each item. To streamline the review process, Amazon has introduced a one-tap rating system, enabling users to provide feedback without composing extensive reviews. Additionally, a recent trend among shoppers involves utilizing chatbots to generate Amazon reviews on their behalf, further simplifying the review-writing process. These innovations reflect Amazon’s commitment to enhancing the customer experience by leveraging AI and automation to facilitate efficient and convenient product evaluation and feedback.
Ensuring trustworthiness has been a persistent concern on Amazon and other online marketplaces. The prevalence of fake reviews has been a challenge, leading companies to adopt a hybrid approach that combines human moderators with automated tools to combat this issue. By employing a combination of human oversight and automated systems, these platforms aim to effectively identify and eliminate fraudulent reviews, thus enhancing the overall trustworthiness of the online shopping experience.
