Amazon is harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to assist users in finding the right products. The e-commerce giant has initiated testing of a new feature in its shopping app that utilizes AI to summarize customer reviews on select products. The feature provides a concise overview of what shoppers appreciated and disliked about the item, accompanied by 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 named “Magic Mixies” cauldron highlights positive feedback related to its “fun factor, appearance, value, performance, quality, charging, and leakage.” However, the summary also acknowledges that the majority of customers expressed negative opinions on these aspects, including instances of customers paying a high price for an underwhelming product or encountering quality and charging issues.
The discovery of this feature was made by Mark Wieczorek, the technology chief of Amazon marketing agency Fortress Brand. Amazon has confirmed the testing of the feature, although specific details about the underlying technology and AI models employed for review summarization have not been disclosed.
Amazon has been a long-time user of AI and machine learning to deliver targeted advertisements and personalized recommendations to customers. However, with the recent surge in interest surrounding generative AI and chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, companies like Amazon are placing a stronger focus on these technologies. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy noted in April that generative AI and large language models have the potential to “transform and improve virtually every customer experience.”
The use of AI to summarize reviews can prove beneficial for shoppers, considering Amazon’s extensive range of products and the numerous reviews associated with each item. To simplify the review process, Amazon has introduced features like the one-tap ratings system, enabling users to provide feedback without composing a detailed review. Additionally, some shoppers have started utilizing chatbots to write Amazon reviews on their behalf.
Trust has been a longstanding concern on Amazon, with fake reviews plaguing the platform and other online marketplaces. To combat this, many companies have implemented a combination of human moderators and automated tools to identify and remove fraudulent reviews.
