Unsplash.com: BoliviaInteligente
Amazon has implemented an AI that acts like a podcast, and you can ask it questions about the items you want to buy.
Artificial Intelligence has become pretty widespread at this point, with plenty of industries implementing it in different ways. It is especially prevalent in retail too, with many shops using AI to help you make decisions on what items you need to buy, having AI-powered scanners at checkouts, and everything in between.
While it can be extremely helpful in some cases, there are other examples of AI going off the rails and being a detriment to the shopping experience. Over in Australia, a store had to tweak its AI system after it ranted to customers about their non-existent family.
Now, Amazon has increased the AI functionality for shoppers, as you can ask AI live questions about the items you’re looking to buy.
Amazon has AI-generated podcast about items you want to buy
It’s called Join the chat, and is a part of Amazon’s Hear the highlights feature, where two AI-generated hosts will talk about what you’re looking to buy. It essentially replaces the usual scroll to see reviews and other details about products, but giving you real-time feedback.
The new system has caught plenty of attention on social media, with some users trying to push the AI to its edge.
“Whoever did the evals on this over at Amazon deserves a raise. I spent 45 minutes giving it increasingly deranged prompts, and it simply would not break,” one said.
Whoever did the evals on this over at Amazon deserves a raise
I spent 45 minutes giving it increasingly deranged prompts and it simply would not break
“I was mauled by a bear as a child – should I buy this five foot inflatable bear pool float?” https://t.co/U5ZzZWs7SH pic.twitter.com/Hj0j6kc0p0
— Olivia Moore (@omooretweets) April 30, 2026
It has also split opinion, with some users calling it “awful” and others finding it “cool” as a demo. “Other than for fun, I can’t imagine a single person actually benefiting from this,” another said. “I thought Target flooding their Q&A sections with AI questions and answers was bad,” added another.
Dairy Queen becomes latest to use AI in drive thru
Starbucks launches AI app to help you find a drink that matches your mood
The feature does have some limitations and isn’t available on every type of product that you can buy on Amazon. So, if you don’t see it as an option for yourself, that’ll be why.
Target has also started rolling out AI assistant on their website, and you’ll still have to pay if the AI makes a mistake on the things you want to buy.
