Amazon launches AI shopping assistant Rufus in the US just in time for Prime Day

Just in time for Amazon Prime Days on July 16 and 17, Amazon announces the launch of its new shopping assistant "Rufus". The AI bot is designed to help customers save time and make purchasing decisions. Rufus is now available to all customers in the USA. The program is launched via the shopping app and queries can be made by text or voice input. The system has been tested since February 2024.

As Amazon reports, Rufus offers much more than just an addition to the product recommendations previously available. For example, if a customer in the USA asks for a pool umbrella for Florida, Rufus also provides information about the expected weather in the region. Questions such as "What are the best wireless outdoor speakers?" and "What are the best lawn games for children's birthday parties?" are not just displayed as keyword-based product lists as before, but qualitative answers or narrowing queries are provided, at least according to Amazon's promise.

Tell me what I should buy

If you are undecided about what you want to buy, Rufus is there to help as a shopping advisor. The AI not only offers support with purchasing decisions, but also provides information on account data and all other information within the customer profile. Amazon apparently believes that traditional search masks and menu selections will soon become superfluous. Rufus is designed to answer all typical questions from online shoppers, such as the expected delivery time or the purchase date of a particular product.

The AI assistant was named after the Welsh Corgi dog of the same name, which has since become the Amazon mascot and died in 2009. The corgi named Rufus belonged to one of the company's first employees and was often seen in the Amazon office in Seattle and at staff meetings. Whether and when Rufus will also be available to customers in Europe and Germany is currently unclear.

(nie)