Amazon Fire TV devices now let you search for movie recommendations

Amazon Fire TV devices are getting an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered feature upgrade that will make it easier for users to discover new shows and movies. The e-commerce giant is integrating its own AI model to power its search function. The company says it will allow users to search for content based on genre, plot and more. Amazon is calling it a personalized content recommendation feature, and has begun rolling out the AI ​​search feature in the U.S. in English.

Amazon Fire TV’s AI Search: How It Works

In a newsroom afterAmazon cited Nielsen’s State of Play 2023 report to highlight that the “average streaming customer spends more than 10 minutes searching for options every time they access their streaming services”.

Most people have probably experienced the situation where they feel like watching something new but struggle to find something that catches their attention. The process can even take a while since most streaming platforms have a large catalog of movies and TV shows. The tech giant is solving the problem by adding AI capabilities to its search function.

The update doesn’t change the way search looks. However, owners of a Fire TV device running Fire OS 6 or later will now be able to find relevant results for complex queries like “Show me psychological thrillers with surprise endings.” This is possible thanks to one of Amazon’s own large language models. The company didn’t specify which AI model was used to enable the feature.

Where to Use Amazon Fire TV’s New AI Search Feature

This new feature will allow users to search for movies and shows based on topics, genres, plots, characters, actors, and even quotes. The feature will show results from Prime Video and the user’s other subscription libraries (such as Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, etc.), so they only see the content that is already available to them for free. The AI ​​search feature is powered by Alexa, so users can also search for content recommendations verbally instead of typing them.

The feature is rolling out to users in the US in English on select Fire TV devices running Fire OS 6 and later, and will roll out to all eligible devices in the coming weeks. Amazon has not shared a timeline for a global release of this feature or support for additional languages.