Friday, May 9, 2025
The Lagos Today
  • Login
  • Home
  • Tech
    NjiaPay: South African Fintech Startup Reshaping Payment Solutions for African Businesses

    NjiaPay: South African Fintech Startup Reshaping Payment Solutions for African Businesses

    Ghana’s Kofa Secures $8.1M Pre-Series A Funding to Drive Clean Energy Access Across Urban Africa

    Ghana’s Kofa Secures $8.1M Pre-Series A Funding to Drive Clean Energy Access Across Urban Africa

    South Africa’s CureRoot Leverages AI to Unlock New Medicines from African Medicinal Plants

    South Africa’s CureRoot Leverages AI to Unlock New Medicines from African Medicinal Plants

    SA’s Peach Payments Expands into Francophone Africa with PayDunya Acquisition

    SA’s Peach Payments Expands into Francophone Africa with PayDunya Acquisition

    Egypt’s Enza Secures $6.75M to Drive Financial Inclusion in Africa

    Egypt’s Enza Secures $6.75M to Drive Financial Inclusion in Africa

    South African Prop-Tech Startup Preferental Unveils Innovative Tenant-Screening App

    South African Prop-Tech Startup Preferental Unveils Innovative Tenant-Screening App

    LoftyInc Capital Secures $43 Million for First Close of New Pan-African Seed Fund

    LoftyInc Capital Secures $43 Million for First Close of New Pan-African Seed Fund

    Stitch Teams Up with Standard Bank’s Shyft for Instant Wallet Top-Ups in South Africa

    Stitch Teams Up with Standard Bank’s Shyft for Instant Wallet Top-Ups in South Africa

    Kenya Takes Action Against TikTok Following Child Exploitation Exposé

    Kenya Takes Action Against TikTok Following Child Exploitation Exposé

  • Startups⚡ by CRAWL
    NjiaPay: South African Fintech Startup Reshaping Payment Solutions for African Businesses

    NjiaPay: South African Fintech Startup Reshaping Payment Solutions for African Businesses

    Ghana’s Kofa Secures $8.1M Pre-Series A Funding to Drive Clean Energy Access Across Urban Africa

    Ghana’s Kofa Secures $8.1M Pre-Series A Funding to Drive Clean Energy Access Across Urban Africa

    South Africa’s CureRoot Leverages AI to Unlock New Medicines from African Medicinal Plants

    South Africa’s CureRoot Leverages AI to Unlock New Medicines from African Medicinal Plants

    Kenyan Tourism Venture Studio Purple Elephant Ventures Increases Seed Round to $5 Million

    Kenyan Tourism Venture Studio Purple Elephant Ventures Increases Seed Round to $5 Million

    SA’s Peach Payments Expands into Francophone Africa with PayDunya Acquisition

    SA’s Peach Payments Expands into Francophone Africa with PayDunya Acquisition

    Egypt’s Enza Secures $6.75M to Drive Financial Inclusion in Africa

    Egypt’s Enza Secures $6.75M to Drive Financial Inclusion in Africa

    GIIG Partners with SparkRockets to Launch AI-Powered Startup Validation Tool

    GIIG Partners with SparkRockets to Launch AI-Powered Startup Validation Tool

    Tanzania’s Kilimo BaNDO Revolutionizes Agriculture for Smallholder Farmers

    Tanzania’s Kilimo BaNDO Revolutionizes Agriculture for Smallholder Farmers

    South African Prop-Tech Startup Preferental Unveils Innovative Tenant-Screening App

    South African Prop-Tech Startup Preferental Unveils Innovative Tenant-Screening App

    LoftyInc Capital Secures $43 Million for First Close of New Pan-African Seed Fund

    LoftyInc Capital Secures $43 Million for First Close of New Pan-African Seed Fund

  • Opinion
  • Business
  • Biotech
  • Industry
    iPhone 16 Sales Surge 20% in China, Signaling a Strong Comeback

    iPhone 16 Sales Surge 20% in China, Signaling a Strong Comeback

    Grid Africa Secures $2.8 Million for Renewable Energy Initiatives in South Africa

    Grid Africa Secures $2.8 Million for Renewable Energy Initiatives in South Africa

    Millennials and Gen Z Show Shorter Tenures Despite Clear Career Paths, New Report Shows

    Millennials and Gen Z Show Shorter Tenures Despite Clear Career Paths, New Report Shows

    Kenya’s Octavia Secures $3.9M Seed Funding to Tackle Carbon Emissions

    Kenya’s Octavia Secures $3.9M Seed Funding to Tackle Carbon Emissions

  • Features & Interviews
  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Art & Design
    • Books
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Sports
    Pick n Pay Set to List Boxer Business in Africa’s Largest IPO of 2024

    Pick n Pay Set to List Boxer Business in Africa’s Largest IPO of 2024

    One Direction Star Liam Payne Dies after Hotel Balcony Fall

    One Direction Star Liam Payne Dies after Hotel Balcony Fall

    It’s important to set boundaries in entertainment industry – Reminisce

    It’s important to set boundaries in entertainment industry – Reminisce

    AFCON 2023: Super Eagles Ready to Face Lions of Cameroon on Saturday – Peseiro

    Flying Eagles moves to Ikenne for camping in prep for 2024 WAFU B U20 Championship in Togo

    EGUAVOEN APPOINTED NIGERIA FOOTBALL FEDERATION TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

    Eguavoen gives conditions for turning Super Eagles interim job to full time role

    Jagun Jagun secures 7 nominations at 2024 AMAA

    Jagun Jagun secures 7 nominations at 2024 AMAA

    Atiku Faults 2020 Budget Review, Urges FG to Prioritize Welfare of Citizens

    Atiku proposes single term of 6-years rotational Presidency

    Oba Elegushi donates 3 standard tennis courts to LASU, reveal reasons behind donation

    Oba Elegushi donates 3 standard tennis courts to LASU, reveal reasons behind donation

    Covid-19: Cinema Operators Decry N22Bn Losses

    FG grants licensing waiver for community cinemas investors – NFVCB

  • Reviews
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Tech
    NjiaPay: South African Fintech Startup Reshaping Payment Solutions for African Businesses

    NjiaPay: South African Fintech Startup Reshaping Payment Solutions for African Businesses

    Ghana’s Kofa Secures $8.1M Pre-Series A Funding to Drive Clean Energy Access Across Urban Africa

    Ghana’s Kofa Secures $8.1M Pre-Series A Funding to Drive Clean Energy Access Across Urban Africa

    South Africa’s CureRoot Leverages AI to Unlock New Medicines from African Medicinal Plants

    South Africa’s CureRoot Leverages AI to Unlock New Medicines from African Medicinal Plants

    SA’s Peach Payments Expands into Francophone Africa with PayDunya Acquisition

    SA’s Peach Payments Expands into Francophone Africa with PayDunya Acquisition

    Egypt’s Enza Secures $6.75M to Drive Financial Inclusion in Africa

    Egypt’s Enza Secures $6.75M to Drive Financial Inclusion in Africa

    South African Prop-Tech Startup Preferental Unveils Innovative Tenant-Screening App

    South African Prop-Tech Startup Preferental Unveils Innovative Tenant-Screening App

    LoftyInc Capital Secures $43 Million for First Close of New Pan-African Seed Fund

    LoftyInc Capital Secures $43 Million for First Close of New Pan-African Seed Fund

    Stitch Teams Up with Standard Bank’s Shyft for Instant Wallet Top-Ups in South Africa

    Stitch Teams Up with Standard Bank’s Shyft for Instant Wallet Top-Ups in South Africa

    Kenya Takes Action Against TikTok Following Child Exploitation Exposé

    Kenya Takes Action Against TikTok Following Child Exploitation Exposé

  • Startups⚡ by CRAWL
    NjiaPay: South African Fintech Startup Reshaping Payment Solutions for African Businesses

    NjiaPay: South African Fintech Startup Reshaping Payment Solutions for African Businesses

    Ghana’s Kofa Secures $8.1M Pre-Series A Funding to Drive Clean Energy Access Across Urban Africa

    Ghana’s Kofa Secures $8.1M Pre-Series A Funding to Drive Clean Energy Access Across Urban Africa

    South Africa’s CureRoot Leverages AI to Unlock New Medicines from African Medicinal Plants

    South Africa’s CureRoot Leverages AI to Unlock New Medicines from African Medicinal Plants

    Kenyan Tourism Venture Studio Purple Elephant Ventures Increases Seed Round to $5 Million

    Kenyan Tourism Venture Studio Purple Elephant Ventures Increases Seed Round to $5 Million

    SA’s Peach Payments Expands into Francophone Africa with PayDunya Acquisition

    SA’s Peach Payments Expands into Francophone Africa with PayDunya Acquisition

    Egypt’s Enza Secures $6.75M to Drive Financial Inclusion in Africa

    Egypt’s Enza Secures $6.75M to Drive Financial Inclusion in Africa

    GIIG Partners with SparkRockets to Launch AI-Powered Startup Validation Tool

    GIIG Partners with SparkRockets to Launch AI-Powered Startup Validation Tool

    Tanzania’s Kilimo BaNDO Revolutionizes Agriculture for Smallholder Farmers

    Tanzania’s Kilimo BaNDO Revolutionizes Agriculture for Smallholder Farmers

    South African Prop-Tech Startup Preferental Unveils Innovative Tenant-Screening App

    South African Prop-Tech Startup Preferental Unveils Innovative Tenant-Screening App

    LoftyInc Capital Secures $43 Million for First Close of New Pan-African Seed Fund

    LoftyInc Capital Secures $43 Million for First Close of New Pan-African Seed Fund

  • Opinion
  • Business
  • Biotech
  • Industry
    iPhone 16 Sales Surge 20% in China, Signaling a Strong Comeback

    iPhone 16 Sales Surge 20% in China, Signaling a Strong Comeback

    Grid Africa Secures $2.8 Million for Renewable Energy Initiatives in South Africa

    Grid Africa Secures $2.8 Million for Renewable Energy Initiatives in South Africa

    Millennials and Gen Z Show Shorter Tenures Despite Clear Career Paths, New Report Shows

    Millennials and Gen Z Show Shorter Tenures Despite Clear Career Paths, New Report Shows

    Kenya’s Octavia Secures $3.9M Seed Funding to Tackle Carbon Emissions

    Kenya’s Octavia Secures $3.9M Seed Funding to Tackle Carbon Emissions

  • Features & Interviews
  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Art & Design
    • Books
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Sports
    Pick n Pay Set to List Boxer Business in Africa’s Largest IPO of 2024

    Pick n Pay Set to List Boxer Business in Africa’s Largest IPO of 2024

    One Direction Star Liam Payne Dies after Hotel Balcony Fall

    One Direction Star Liam Payne Dies after Hotel Balcony Fall

    It’s important to set boundaries in entertainment industry – Reminisce

    It’s important to set boundaries in entertainment industry – Reminisce

    AFCON 2023: Super Eagles Ready to Face Lions of Cameroon on Saturday – Peseiro

    Flying Eagles moves to Ikenne for camping in prep for 2024 WAFU B U20 Championship in Togo

    EGUAVOEN APPOINTED NIGERIA FOOTBALL FEDERATION TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

    Eguavoen gives conditions for turning Super Eagles interim job to full time role

    Jagun Jagun secures 7 nominations at 2024 AMAA

    Jagun Jagun secures 7 nominations at 2024 AMAA

    Atiku Faults 2020 Budget Review, Urges FG to Prioritize Welfare of Citizens

    Atiku proposes single term of 6-years rotational Presidency

    Oba Elegushi donates 3 standard tennis courts to LASU, reveal reasons behind donation

    Oba Elegushi donates 3 standard tennis courts to LASU, reveal reasons behind donation

    Covid-19: Cinema Operators Decry N22Bn Losses

    FG grants licensing waiver for community cinemas investors – NFVCB

  • Reviews
No Result
View All Result
The Lagos Today
No Result
View All Result
Home Tech

Amazon Eyes AI Agents Capable of Autonomous Shopping

by Iyanu Ale
October 10, 2024
in Tech, World News, World News
Reading Time: 4 mins read
0
0
Amazon Eyes AI Agents Capable of Autonomous Shopping
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Amazon has revealed its ambition to develop artificial intelligence (AI) agents smart enough to handle shopping tasks independently, potentially buying items for customers without any input from them. This bold move is part of a broader strategy by the e-commerce giant to integrate AI into its platform and create a seamless shopping experience powered by machine learning.

The company has been quietly enhancing its online platform with AI features, and recently announced the introduction of AI-generated shopping guides for numerous product categories. While these tools are only the beginning, Amazon executives have confirmed that they are working on more advanced AI capabilities that could transform online shopping as we know it.

Trishul Chilimbi, Vice President and distinguished scientist at Amazon, explained that the company’s engineers are exploring new AI services, including autonomous shopping agents that might recommend products or even add items to a customer’s cart automatically. “It’s on our roadmap,” Chilimbi said. “We’re prototyping it, and when we think it’s good enough, we’ll release it in whatever form makes sense.”

From Chatbots to Intelligent Agents

The first step in Amazon’s AI evolution may involve chatbots that proactively suggest products based on a user’s previous purchases or broader shopping trends. The challenge, Chilimbi acknowledged, will be to make these suggestions feel helpful rather than intrusive. “If it’s no good and annoying, then you’ll tune it out,” he noted. “But if it comes up with surprising things that are interesting, you’ll use it more.”

Amazon has already made strides in this direction with Rufus, a chatbot added to its platform earlier this year. Powered by a custom large language model (LLM), Rufus can respond to a variety of customer inquiries, leveraging both publicly available data and Amazon’s proprietary information. Chilimbi noted that Amazon’s LLM has “hundreds of billions of parameters,” making it one of the most sophisticated models in the industry.

Unlike other LLMs, Amazon’s model has been fine-tuned specifically for e-commerce purposes, with the goal of serving as a “shopping concierge” that helps customers find what they are looking for more easily. Chilimbi hinted that the company is training even larger models, although he declined to provide specifics on their size or capabilities.

AI Agents for Everyday Tasks

Amazon’s ultimate goal is to deploy autonomous AI agents that go beyond simple recommendations. These agents could carry out a range of tasks, such as navigating websites to resolve issues like a parking ticket or completing complex processes like filing a tax return. On the e-commerce front, these agents might even handle entire shopping lists for customers, from recommending new products to completing purchases on their behalf.

For example, an AI agent could recognize when a customer’s favorite author releases a new book and automatically purchase it. “It could say, ‘We have one bought for you. We can ship it today, and it will arrive tomorrow morning at your door,’” said Rajiv Mehta, a Vice President at Amazon who works on conversational AI shopping.

Such capabilities could extend to more complex scenarios as well. Mehta described a situation where a customer might tell an agent, “I’m going on a camping trip, buy me everything I need,” and the agent would take care of the rest. In more advanced iterations, the AI could make purchasing decisions on its own, using preset budgets and customer preferences.

Pioneering the Future of E-Commerce

Amazon’s new AI-generated shopping guides are just the beginning of what could be a revolutionary shift in online shopping. These guides provide insights on everything from televisions to gardening tools, all derived from Amazon’s vast repository of product data, customer reviews, and buying habits. Brett Canfield, Senior Product Manager on Amazon’s personalization team, explained that the guides aim to help customers navigate the sometimes-overwhelming array of choices in product categories they may not be familiar with.

“This is really only possible with generative AI,” Canfield said, showcasing how the new technology can distill complex information into easy-to-digest guides for even niche product categories.

Potential Impacts on Retail and Content

Amazon’s embrace of generative AI has the potential to disrupt the e-commerce landscape. With AI-generated shopping guides and recommendations, the company could divert traffic from traditional publishers and review sites that rely on creating similar content. The implications for the broader online content and retail ecosystem are significant, as AI-generated results could replace the need for human-written articles and shopping guides.

The market for AI in e-commerce is projected to grow significantly in the coming years, from $6.6 billion in 2023 to an estimated $22.6 billion by 2032, according to industry reports. Amazon’s strategic focus on AI agents positions it to capitalize on this trend and potentially redefine how customers shop online.

“LLM agents are a customer service game changer,” said Mark Chrystal, CEO of Profitmind, a company that uses AI to provide analytics for retailers. “Big players like Amazon have a huge advantage because they have so much data to train their models with.”

Despite the exciting potential, there are still challenges to overcome. Ruslan Salakhutdinov, a computer scientist at Carnegie Mellon University working on AI agents, cautioned that while AI agents might soon handle routine tasks for e-commerce customers, more complex actions, such as making purchases autonomously, require a higher level of reliability and reasoning.

“We aren’t quite there yet,” Salakhutdinov said, noting the need for improved accuracy and safety. “There are some actions you can’t really reverse from. You know, like you already bought it.”

Nevertheless, Amazon’s work on AI agents, coupled with its extensive e-commerce data, positions it at the forefront of a technological transformation that could soon reshape the retail industry and customer experience for good.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • X

Like this:

Like Loading...
Tags: AIAmazonArtificial IntelligenceArtificial Intelligence (AI)
Previous Post

US Authorities Uncover Massive Market Manipulation Scheme in Crypto Sting Operation

Next Post

GM Launches PowerBank Home Battery for Energy Independence

Iyanu Ale

Iyanu Ale

Related Posts

NjiaPay: South African Fintech Startup Reshaping Payment Solutions for African Businesses

NjiaPay: South African Fintech Startup Reshaping Payment Solutions for African Businesses

by Iyanu Ale
May 5, 2025
0

In a move poised to transform how African businesses manage financial transactions, South African fintech startup NjiaPay is streamlining payments...

Ghana’s Kofa Secures $8.1M Pre-Series A Funding to Drive Clean Energy Access Across Urban Africa

Ghana’s Kofa Secures $8.1M Pre-Series A Funding to Drive Clean Energy Access Across Urban Africa

by Iyanu Ale
May 2, 2025
0

Ghanaian energy tech startup Kofa has successfully raised $8.1 million in a pre-Series A funding round to scale its AI-powered...

Next Post
GM Launches PowerBank Home Battery for Energy Independence

GM Launches PowerBank Home Battery for Energy Independence

Please login to join discussion

Recommended

Tinubu Orders Crackdown on Transnational Car Theft Syndicates as EFCC Returns 53 Stolen Vehicles to Canada

Tinubu Orders Crackdown on Transnational Car Theft Syndicates as EFCC Returns 53 Stolen Vehicles to Canada

8 months ago
Court Jails Former Dangote GM, Others For $32,000 Fraud in Lagos

Marginalisation: Court Fixes October 19 For Lagos Indigenes’ Suit

3 years ago

Popular News

    Connect with us

    Tags

    #EndSARS 2023 Elections 2023 polls 2023 Presidency ACCIDENT Africa All progressives Congress APC Asiwaju Bola Tinubu Babajide Sanwo-Olu CBN Central Bank of NIgeria Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Coronavirus pandemic Covid-19 Covid-19 in Lagos Covid-19 in Nigeria Covid-19 Vaccine Cryptocurrency Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC Federal Government Federal Government of Nigeria Fraud Gov. Sanwo-Olu House of Representatives Lagos-Ibadan expressway Lagos state Lagos State Government Lagos State House of Assembly Lagos State Police command Muhammadu Buhari Murder Naira NDLEA Nigeria Nigeria Customs Service Nigerian Economy Nigeria Police Force Rape Strike action TECH UK United Kingdom US

    News

    • Industries
    • National
    • Startups
    • Biotechnology

    Opinion

    • Editorials
    • Today’s Opinion
    • Letters
    • Sunday Review
    • Advertise
    • Opinion
    • Features & Interviews
    • Investigation
    • Contact

    © 2020 The Lagos Today - Nkali.

    Welcome Back!

    Login to your account below

    Forgotten Password?

    Retrieve your password

    Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

    Log In
    No Result
    View All Result
    • Tech
    • Business
    • Biotech
    • Startups
    • Entertainment
    • Feature & Interviews
    • Reviews
    • Opinion

    © 2020 The Lagos Today - Nkali.

    %d