Chatbot shopping everything: Amazon is rethinking AI search on its platform

Amazon has begun incorporating AI answers into the search bar of its website and mobile app. Users will be able to receive product comparisons and recommendations generated by large language models depending on the content of the query, the company said Wednesday, Ma 13. At the same time, Amazon announced that it will end support for the Rufus shopping chatbot, which launched in 2024.

A new Amazon tool called Alexa for Shopping will replace the Rufus chatbot that previously summarized the online retailer's customer reviews and suggested items. Whereas Rufus was a separate assistant that had to be triggered manually via a dedicated button, Alexa for Shopping is built right into Amazon's main search engine on the site and app. The new search format will be displayed by default starting this week for users in the US. Alexa for Shopping will launch via an italicized A icon on Amazon's website or app, as well as through Echo Show devices.

Amazon said the new tool combines the capabilities of Rufus and the Alexa+ AI platform and leverages shopping history and other user data to become "the best and most personalized AI shopping assistant in the world."

Amazon's search results will depend on how a user phrases a query, Amazon Vice President Daniel Rausch, who oversees the teams working on Alexa, told Bloomberg. AI answers and personalized recommendations will appear if a customer, for example, wants to compare coffee machines, create a skincare program and order the right products right away, or set reminders for loved ones' birthdays with gift suggestions for specific family members.

The Rufus chatbot introduced for Amazon shoppers in 2024 was used by 300 million customers in 2025, the company said. The tool will be shut down, the company said, but Amazon will continue to use Rufus' recommendation features and user purchase history for the Alexa for Shopping portion of queries.

The new Alexa for Shopping tool will be free for all users. "Shoppers do have a lot of choice in retail and we face a huge amount of competition. If you make the service so simple and really useful for users, it will make a difference. That's why we are confident in this search bar solution," said Rausch.

Amazon shares added just over 1% in trading on May 13, up 16% since the beginning of the year.

Amazon expects AI-powered answers to help keep shoppers from switching to other sites and chatbots, such as OpenAI's ChatGPT or Google's Gemini, that aim to make it easier to find and buy products, and some of them are already partnering with retailers, Bloomberg notes.

Internet search engines, including Google, have also begun embedding AI-generated answers into search results in recent years.

That said, Amazon is in no rush to partner with competing AI platforms and open its site to outside AI agents for shopping, CNBC notes. CEO Andy Jesse said in December 2025 that Amazon was "in talks" and expects to partner with third-party AI agents, but the company still blocks many bots from accessing its site, the channel notes.

The integration of Alexa for Shopping into the online platform's site search results could prove sensitive for Amazon's millions of third-party sellers, who pay large sums to promote their products and rank higher in traditional search results, CNBC notes. Sponsored product listings generate the bulk of the company's advertising revenue.

Previously, Morgan Stanley analysts called Amazon one of the main beneficiaries of so-called "agent commerce" - a market where AI assistants take care of product searches and purchases for the user. The bank estimates that the Rufus chatbot will accelerate Amazon's gross sales growth by 140 basis points by the end of 2025.

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor