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Level Up Your Shopping Game With Rufus, Amazon's AI Assistant

Jon Fingas / Android Authority

TL;DR

Amazon's AI-powered shopping assistant, Rufus, is now available on the Amazon Shopping app.

Rufus can help with product recommendations, comparing options, and looking up your order history, among other things.

Update your app to the latest version if you're unable to access Rufus.

Think Amazon Alexa is impressive? Well, wait till you try Rufus! Amazon unveiled its AI-powered shopping assistant, Rufus, earlier this year. So far, Rufus has been available in beta to a small set of Amazon's customers. However, in a recent post, the retailer announced that the shopping assistant is now available to all US customers within the Amazon Shopping app.

The shopping assistant is designed to answer product-specific questions, help with recommendations, and compare items. Customers can also use Rufus to get quick access to their order history as well as keep track of product updates. These are just some of Rufus' many capabilities, given that the shopping assistant has been trained on Amazon's product catalog, community Q&As and reviews, and public information from other websites in an effort to help the AI tool make better recommendations.

In its post, Amazon noted that a customer asked Rufus for pool umbrella recommendations for Florida. In response, the shopping assistant shared facts about the humidity and weather in Florida and suggested what features to look for when shopping for a pool umbrella. Amazon said customers could also ask Rufus specific questions like, "Is this coffee maker easy to clean and maintain?" and "Is this mascara a clean beauty product?"

Additionally, the retailer notes that Rufus can answer questions that may not be directly related to shopping. For instance, a customer who wants to purchase products needed to make a cake could ask, "What do I need to make a chocolate cake?" In response, Rufus will provide a list of baking essentials that can be purchased through Amazon. This way, Rufus can add a lot of convenience to a customer's shopping experience.

Rufus is currently live for everyone in the US who uses the Amazon Shopping app. If you're unable to access Amazon's shopping assistant, make sure your app is updated to the latest version. You'll see a Rufus icon (two chat bubbles with a sparkle) under the main navigation bar at the bottom of your screen. Tapping the icon will bring up a chat box, and you can proceed to ask any questions you have or test out the feature by tapping one of the suggested questions.

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I Asked Amazon's Rufus To Help Me Shop. It's Not Quite There Yet

Just a few days before this year's Prime Day sale, Amazon rolled out a new app-only chat feature to all US customers to assist with their shopping.

Called Rufus, the AI assistant has been trained on Amazon's products, reviews and Q&As, along with information from the web. Its goal is to answer questions about your shopping needs and Amazon's products, as well as to make product comparisons — and to encourage you to spend. But Rufus also warns: "My answers are

Great news for Amazon shoppers in the U.S.! After a testing period, Amazon has announced that its new AI shopping assistant, Rufus, is now available to everyone. Accessible through the familiar orange and blue icon in the Amazon Shopping app, Rufus is designed to make your shopping experience smoother and more informative.

Rufus, Amazon's AI Assistant Arrives With Features to Improve Online Shopping

How Rufus Makes Shopping Easier

Imagine having a helpful friend by your side while you shop online. That's the idea behind Rufus. Here are some ways Rufus can assist you:

Need buying advice? Ask Rufus general questions like "What should I look for in a good pair of headphones?" and get helpful tips to guide your purchase.

Planning an activity? Tell Rufus "I'm going skiing. What do I need?" and he'll suggest relevant products.

Comparing products? Can't decide between two items? Ask Rufus "What's the difference between a mirrorless camera and an SLR camera?" and get a clear comparison.

Finding the perfect gift? Stuck on a gift idea? Ask Rufus "What would be a good gift for a 9-year-old?" and he'll provide suggestions based on age and interests.

Want to know more about a specific product? While looking at a jacket, you can ask Rufus "Can this jacket be machine washed?" and he'll use product information and customer reviews to answer your question.

Gizchina News of the week The Brains Behind Rufus

So how does Rufus know so much? He's been trained on a massive amount of information, including product details, reviews, and questions and answers from other Amazon shoppers. This allows Rufus to understand your questions and provide relevant answers that address your specific needs.

More Than Just Shopping?

Early testing suggests that Rufus may even be able to answer questions beyond shopping. Some users have reported getting answers about current events, like the U.S. Election. While this shows the potential of AI assistants, it's important to ensure information accuracy.

Amazon understands this and has assured users that Rufus is still under development. They are working on ways to limit responses on sensitive topics to make sure the information you get from Rufus is always reliable.

The launch of Rufus marks a big step forward for online shopping. With this AI assistant by your side, you can shop smarter and faster, finding the products you need with greater ease. As AI technology continues to develop, we can expect Rufus and other AI assistants to become even more helpful, making online shopping a truly enjoyable experience.

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