Amazon has begun a pilot program to create AI-generated audio product descriptions. These dynamic short-form summaries are currently rolled out on featured product pages to eligible customers in the U.S. This groundbreaking, super-new feature improves your shopping experience tremendously! That’s because it provides AI-generated audio summaries of concise product information, allowing you to soak up valuable insights hands-free on-the-go.
The announcement, made on Wednesday, included a plan for how the sound bites would help consumers make informed buying choices. We know that the overall trend for enjoying audio content is booming. Amazon’s new feature plays directly into this changing consumer preference and technological shift. Incorporating this new audio capability, the firm aims to enrich the product research experience by creating a more meaningful and accessible experience.
Aisha Malik, a consumer news reporter at TechCrunch, notes that this development follows a broader trend in the tech industry. On one hand, Google just released a new feature to its NotebookLM service. With Audio Overviews functionality, users can create podcasts with AI virtual hosts generated from shared Slide or Doc content.
Today’s announcement breaks new ground on the retailer’s previously established, AI-enhanced shopping tools, including providing customers audio highlights of products. This new addition continues to place Amazon at the front of the pack when it comes to artificial intelligence applications aimed at creating a better customer experience.
“The feature makes product research fun and convenient — it’s like having helpful friends discuss potential purchases to make your shopping easier, even if you’re multitasking or on the go,” stated Amazon representatives. This idea is core to the company’s mission of providing the world’s most convenient shopping experience.
For the time being, only specific products will include these audio summaries while Amazon tries out the capability with a small group of users. It’s no coincidence that the decision is aligned with a strategic, phased approach to test and improve the technology before a larger deployment.
Prior to joining TechCrunch in 2021, Malik spent several years covering the telecom industry as a reporter at MobileSyrup. He earned an honour’s bachelor’s degree from the University of Toronto, and a master’s degree in journalism from Western University. Her unique perspective and understanding of consumer technology trends offers great context and analysis for thinking about Amazon’s latest innovations.
If you’re more of a visual person, take a look at this photo we snapped that illustrates Amazon’s proscribed audio product summaries. Photo credits Amazon, public domain.