Amazon has announced that it is testing a new AI shopping tool known as “Buy for Me” with a select group of users, according to a blog post published by the company on Thursday.
In cases where Amazon does not have the desired product, the Buy for Me feature will present options available on other websites. Users can then choose to purchase these products directly through the Amazon Shopping app without navigating away from it.
This development places Amazon among other companies like OpenAI, Google, and Perplexity, all of which have introduced similar AI shopping agents capable of browsing websites and facilitating purchases. While Amazon already serves as a primary online shopping destination for many, Buy for Me could further increase its presence in the e-commerce sector.
Amazon’s AI shopping agent operates by visiting external websites to select and purchase products on behalf of users. It uses the user’s name, shipping address, and payment details to complete transactions, as stipulated by Amazon.
The company’s new shopping feature is powered by its Amazon Nova AI models and Anthropic’s Claude. One of these models is likely Nova Act, an AI agent introduced by Amazon earlier in the week that can autonomously navigate websites.
The blog post also mentions that Buy for Me employs encryption to securely handle users’ billing information on third-party sites, ensuring Amazon does not see transactions made outside its platform. This method contrasts with the approaches taken by AI agents from OpenAI and Google, which require manual entry of credit card details, and Perplexity, which uses a prepaid debit card for purchases.
There are concerns about entrusting credit card information to AI, which can sometimes make errors. Experiences documented by TechCrunch indicate that AI shopping agents may take substantial time to process requests and could encounter issues during the process.
Amazon requests that users trust its AI agent to make accurate purchases, such as avoiding errors like buying 1,000 pairs of socks instead of 10. Users are also being asked to accept a reduced level of control over their shopping experience. In the event of returns or exchanges, Buy for Me will direct customers to the digital storefront where the original purchase was made.
The extent to which users are willing to adopt this new technology remains to be seen.
