Amazon will show AI-made product images in search suggestions

In short: Amazon says it will add AI-generated product images to its search suggestions to help shoppers find the right style when they do not know the exact words.

What happened

Amazon announced a new feature in its shopping app that shows AI-generated images when you type a search. These images appear below the usual search suggestions.

The company says the goal is to help when a shopper has an idea in mind but cannot describe it well. Amazon gave examples like not knowing terms such as “cowl neck” for a type of shirt or “rattan” for a furniture material.

For example, if you search for “blue gingham dress,” Amazon may show several made-up images of different dress shapes and sleeve lengths. If you tap one, Amazon says it will run a more targeted search using “visual search” (a way to search using what something looks like, like pointing to a picture instead of typing the perfect keyword).

Amazon has been adding other AI features to shopping over the last few years. These include AI-written summaries of customer reviews and AI-made “shoppable collages” that group items into a style.

Why it matters

This changes what people see at the start of shopping. Instead of only seeing real product photos from real listings, shoppers may first see images that are not actual items for sale, more like a sketch of an idea (like a catalog mockup). That could help some people narrow down a style, but it could also confuse others if they think the pictured item is a real product they can buy.

Source: TechCrunch AI