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Amazon is testing a new AI-powered shopping feature called “Buy for Me“, which allows users to purchase items from other websites without leaving the Amazon app.
If Amazon doesn’t sell a product someone is searching for, this feature will show options from other online stores. The user can then select an item, and Amazon’s AI will handle the purchase process.
Other companies like OpenAI, Google, and Perplexity have also developed AI shopping assistants, but Amazon is already a giant in online retail.
With Buy for Me, Amazon could gain even more business by facilitating purchases from external retailers.
When a user selects an item, Amazon’s AI agent visits the website, adds the product to the cart, and fills in the user’s name, shipping address, and payment details.
This process is powered by Amazon’s Nova AI models and Anthropic’s Claude. One of these models, called Nova Act, is capable of browsing websites and making transactions automatically.
Amazon claims that Buy for Me securely enters billing information using encryption, meaning that Amazon itself doesn’t see what users are purchasing from outside retailers.
This is different from other AI shopping agents: OpenAI and Google require users to manually enter payment details. Perplexity’s AI uses a prepaid debit card to make purchases.
Despite Amazon’s security claims, handing over credit card information to an AI assistant raises concerns.
AI systems sometimes make mistakes, and users might worry about the AI purchasing the wrong item or ordering too many of something. As noted by TechCrunch, what if the AI mistakenly buys 1,000 socks instead of 10?
AI shopping assistants, in general, can be slow and unreliable, sometimes getting stuck in the middle of transactions.
Another issue is returns and exchanges: if a user needs to return a product, they’ll have to deal with the third-party retailer directly, not Amazon.
Amazon is betting that users will embrace this hands-free shopping experience. However, it remains to be seen whether people are ready to trust AI with their purchases.
What do you think about Amazon bringing this feature? Would you use it for your shopping needs? Tell us what you think in the comments, below, or reach us via our Twitter or Facebook.
