Amazon continues to explore new ways to employ artificial intelligence in how it interacts with consumers with the launch of “Join the Chat,” an interactive feature that allows consumers to ask AI hosts questions via text or voice while listening to an audio summary about a product.
Rajiv Mehta, Amazon vice president, conversational shopping, stated that, with “Join the Chat,” the AI hosts take the question, deliver an answer in real time, then pick back up where they left off.
With “Join the Chat,” which Amazon integrated into its “Hear the Highlights” app function, shoppers can move from listening to participating, Mehta asserted, as they can ask questions such as “Is this coffee maker better for a beginner or someone with barista experience?”
The company AI hosts incorporate the question into the conversation, providing a tailored response grounded in product details, customer reviews and other publicly available information before continuing the summary.
“Join the Chat” also understands context, so when a customer asks a question, the AI hosts don’t just offer a generic answer. They consider what’s already been covered and respond with immediately relevant information.
Mehta characterized the “Join the Chat” rollout as an element in its reinvention of online shopping in ways that make it faster and easier and to make customers’ lives better every day.
Behind the scenes, the experience is powered by several mutually supporting AI technologies. Each “Join the Chat” interaction begins with an AI-generated script. When a shopper asks a question, the script adapts in real time to deliver a pertinent answer. The hosts reply naturally and match the tone and energy of the original summary.
Mehta maintained the approach creates an experience that is informative and adaptive. Customers can ask questions and steer where the conversation goes. Every question consumers ask influences what comes next, making the experience a conversation customers can join and customize.
“Hear the Highlights” delivers short-form audio product summaries on millions of product detail pages. Its AI-generated hosts summarize key product features drawing from product details, customer reviews and information from across the web. Amazon makes “Hear the Highlights” available to consumers in the United States on the retailer’s shopping app and covers millions of products.
