GoKawiilEdgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR Amazon Shopping is trying out AI-generated product suggestions in search.
As users refine their search terms, new images will try to zero-in on what they’re describing.
Once you select the AI image closest to what you’re looking for, the app will pull up similar real-world products.
Using AI to generate pictures is a whole lot of fun. And it can also be very useful when you’re trying to visualize new ideas in order to more easily share them. But does it sound like a great fit for shopping? Amazon sure seems to think so, and is introducing a new AI-powered visualization tool for search in its Amazon Shopping app.
Don’t want to miss the best from Android Authority? Set us as a favorite source in Google Discover to never miss our latest exclusive reports, expert analysis, and much more.
to never miss our latest exclusive reports, expert analysis, and much more. You can also set us as a preferred source in Google Search by clicking the button below.
Today Amazon’s announcing a whole bunch of visual-first upgrades for Shopping, including improvements to Lens Live, like the ability to add text to pictures you snap with your camera for better search results. That’s also getting its own version of Circle to Search, allowing you to highlight specific parts of photos for the app’s attention. But the one everybody’s talking about — and easily the most controversial one here — is the addition of real-time AI-generated product images for searches.
In a certain light, what Amazon’s trying here makes a lot of sense: The company frames this tool as ideal for users who might be able to picture the product they want to buy, but don’t know exactly the right term for it. Instead, they can try a more descriptive approach, and Amazon will show some AI-generated suggestions of what they could be looking for. As you continue to add text, the app will refine those guesses.
The idea is that once you see one that’s pretty much just what you had in mind, you can tap on it, and Amazon Shopping will then present you with a list of real-world products that are similar. As you can see in the demo above, this is getting started with clothing and home products — considering the incredibly ambitious scope of this effort, it makes a lot of sense to start with a more targeted approach like this.
... continue reading