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AI Tool Lens Live Transforms Amazon’s Shopping Experience

Amazon’s new AI-powered Lens Live lets shoppers scan real-world objects with their phones to instantly find matches online.
Newton KitongaBy No Comments3 Mins Read

TLDRs;

  • New feature lets users scan items with their phone to find matches on Amazon.
  • Lens Live builds on recommendation engines, robotics, and fulfillment AI investments.
  • AI-driven platforms are becoming the primary way younger consumers discover products.
  • Amazon positions the camera as the new search bar, shaping the next wave of e-commerce.

Amazon has officially introduced Lens Live, an AI-powered feature that allows customers to shop by simply pointing their phone cameras at real-world objects.

The tool, now available on the Amazon Shopping app for iOS, can instantly identify items in view and match them to products listed on the company’s marketplace.

Users can swipe through a carousel of similar items, add them directly to their cart, or save them to their wishlist for later. To make the experience more seamless, Lens Live also integrates Amazon’s AI assistant, Rufus, which can summarize product descriptions and answer customer questions in real time.

Expanding Amazon’s AI ecosystem

While Lens Live may appear to be just another product search feature, it represents the latest step in Amazon’s two-decade-long AI-first strategy.

Since 2014, when Amazon began aggressively incorporating machine learning into its recommendation systems, the company has structured its growth around a “flywheel” strategy. This approach ensures that advancements in one AI area drive progress in others.

Amazon reports that its recommendation engine, which tailors shopping suggestions based on browsing history and personal preferences, generates nearly 35% of total revenue. By combining object detection, product-matching across billions of listings, and AI-driven product summaries, Lens Live embodies this strategy, seamlessly uniting multiple layers of the company’s AI capabilities.

Beyond shopping, Amazon has invested heavily in infrastructure to sustain its AI momentum. Its deployment of more than 200,000 robots in fulfillment centers and the launch of AWS RoboMaker, a tool for AI-driven robotics development, underscore its long-term commitment to embedding AI across industries.

A race with rivals

Lens Live’s debut arrives at a time when AI-powered shopping tools are becoming a competitive battleground. In October 2024, Google rebuilt its Shopping platform, integrating over 45 billion product listings with AI-generated briefs, virtual try-ons, and enhanced recommendation systems.

Both tech giants appear to be responding to a consumer shift where generative AI is replacing traditional search engines as the go-to method for discovering and buying products.

Research by the Capgemini Research Institute, which surveyed 12,000 consumers worldwide, highlights this trend: many shoppers already consider AI assistants more effective than human sales staff in guiding purchase decisions. Amazon’s move toward camera-first commerce is designed to capture this behavior, effectively turning the smartphone lens into the new search bar.

What’s next for Amazon shoppers

Currently limited to iOS, Amazon plans to roll out Lens Live more broadly in the coming weeks. As adoption grows, industry experts predict it could reshape how consumers interact with e-commerce platforms, making the shopping experience faster, more personalized, and more immersive.

For Amazon, the launch is not just about selling more items but,  about cementing its role as the leader in AI-driven retail innovation.

As competitors rush to catch up, Lens Live could set the new standard for blending convenience, personalization, and technology in online shopping.

 

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