Amazon launches Lens Live, an AI-powered shopping tool for use in the real world

Amazon is making significant strides in the realm of AI-driven shopping with the introduction of Lens Live, a cutting-edge upgrade to its existing Amazon Lens feature. Launched on Tuesday, this innovative tool enables consumers to discover products through visual search, paralleling offerings from competitors like Google Lens and Pinterest Lens. Lens Live integrates seamlessly with Amazon's AI shopping assistant, Rufus, which provides valuable product insights. Unlike the traditional Amazon Lens, which allows users to upload images or scan barcodes to identify products, Lens Live adds a dynamic, real-time element. Shoppers can simply point their mobile devices at items in their environment to view a curated selection of similar products in a swipeable format. This new feature is part of Amazon's broader strategy to enhance online shopping through AI. Over the past year, the company has introduced various functionalities, including Rufus, AI-driven shopping guides, enhanced product reviews, and personalized shopping recommendations. Lens Live is designed to cater to consumers' habits, particularly comparison shopping in physical stores, making it easy to check if Amazon offers better prices on items. When using Lens Live, customers can interact with products in their camera’s view by tapping on any item to focus on it. If they find a suitable match, they can easily add it to their shopping cart or save it to their wish list with a simple tap of an icon. The technology behind Lens Live is powered by Amazon SageMaker, facilitating the deployment of machine learning models at scale, and it operates on AWS-managed Amazon OpenSearch. Additionally, Rufus enhances the Lens Live experience by providing AI-generated product summaries and suggested conversational prompts, enabling shoppers to conduct quick research and gain insights before making a purchase. Initially available in the Amazon Shopping app for iOS, Lens Live will roll out to millions of U.S. shoppers, although plans for global expansion remain unconfirmed.