Amazon adds AI-powered audio summaries for enhanced shopping experience

Amazon is testing AI-generated audio summaries on select product pages, offering shoppers a quick, conversational way to hear key features and reviews before purchase

Amazon has begun testing a new AI-powered feature aimed at making online shopping more convenient and engaging. The company is rolling out short-form audio product summaries on select product detail pages in the US. These summaries, according to Amazon, are generated by “AI-powered shopping experts” that highlight key product features, analyse customer reviews, and incorporate information from across the web.

  While currently limited to select products, Amazon says the feature will expand to more product detail pages over time and is expected to roll out more widely in the coming months.

“Hear the highlights”: How it works

The new feature, titled “Hear the highlights,” provides users with a brief audio overview of a product’s standout features, notable customer feedback, and other helpful insights. The audio is delivered in a conversational tone by AI-generated voices, which Amazon describes as “shopping experts” designed to help customers make quicker and more informed decisions. Amazon says that the new feature uses large language models (LLMs) to analyse relevant data from Amazon’s platform, and also from the web. 

How to use the “Hear the highlights” feature

Open the Amazon Shopping app and navigate to a product detail page.

Look for the “Hear the highlights” button beneath the product image, available only if an audio summary exists for that product.

Tap Play to hear a short audio summary covering the key features, reviews, and insights relevant to the product.

AI features in Amazon

The company noted that this new addition complements its existing line-up of AI-driven shopping tools, including:

• Rufus: A generative AI assistant for product discovery, offering conversational responses to help users explore items more efficiently.
• Shopping Guides: An AI-based research tool that delivers personalised recommendations and product comparisons.
• Review Highlights: Summarises common review themes to give users a quick understanding of product sentiment.
• Buy for Me: An experimental beta feature that allows AI to complete purchases from third-party retailers on behalf of the user when Amazon doesn’t sell the item directly.
• Interests: An AI feature that continuously tracks and recommends products based on a user’s shopping preferences.