Amazon’s Rufus AI shopping assistant is now available in India
Amazon has launched its artificial intelligence (AI) shopping assistant Rufus in beta for users in India. The chatbot, integrated into Amazon’s mobile app, can answer user queries, make product recommendations and compare different products to help users make better-informed decisions. Rufus was first unveiled in beta in February and was only available to users in the US. The e-commerce giant also claimed that the feature will be rolled out to more users in India in the coming weeks.
The tech giant announced Rufus launched in India on Tuesday, saying that the AI chatbot will be available in beta form for a subset of Amazon mobile app users in the country. Once users access the chatbot, they will see a new icon in the bottom-right corner of the app. Clicking on the icon will open the Rufus interface as a bottom tray.
A text field is placed in the bottom sheet, so that users can type questions. If users are having trouble getting started, they can also take help of suggested questions. To end the conversation, users can swipe down on the bottom sheet. When they pick it up again, the chat box will show the previous conversation.
According to Amazon, users can talk to Rufus while shopping through product categories, ask for gift suggestions based on activity and occasion, compare different products, ask for recommendations, and ask questions about a specific product while on the product detail page.
Rufus’ database includes Amazon’s repository and can also use the internet to find relevant answers to users’ questions, the company said. The e-commerce giant also stressed that the chatbot can get things wrong and hallucinate. If this happens, users can provide feedback by rating the answers with a thumbs up or thumbs down. There is also an option to provide detailed feedback.
The history behind the chatbot’s name is also interesting. The New York Times reported that Amazon has a policy that allows its employees to bring their dogs into the workplace. Rufus is said to be the name of one of the first dogs to roam the offices in the early days of the company.
