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Tech giant Amazon has rolled out the beta version of Rufus, a GenAI conversational shopping assistant, in India. 

The assistant, trained on Amazon’s product catalogue and information sourced from the internet, will be able to answer customer queries related to shopping, provide product comparisons, offer recommendations and enhance product discovery within the Amazon app. 

Starting today, Rufus will be available in beta for a select group of users on the Amazon.in mobile app, with a phased rollout across India planned over the coming weeks, the company said in a blog post.

“This past year, we’ve introduced a number of new generative AI-powered capabilities on the Amazon.in marketplace to make shopping even easier and more convenient,” read the company’s blog. 

“Building on these AI customer innovations, today we are launching Rufus in beta to customers in India. Customers in the U.S. have already asked Rufus tens of millions of questions, and we’re excited to introduce it in India,” it added. 

The AI assistant can help simplify the shopping process, by assisting with general research like “what to consider when buying a washing machine” to product comparisons such as “fitness band vs. smartwatch”, helping make product discovery an easier process, the company said.

Users can also conduct product research, with questions such as “what to consider when buying headphones?” or “things to consider when choosing the right moisturiser”.

Moreover, customers can discover products based on activities, events, or specific needs by asking questions like “gifting ideas for my wife’s birthday” or “what do I need for my first hike”, or even get answers to questions not directly related to shopping, such as “what do I need to make dal makhani?”

To use Rufus, beta customers can click the icon in the bottom right corner of Amazon’s mobile app to open a chat box. They can view answers, tap on suggested questions, ask follow-ups, and dismiss Rufus by swiping the chat box down to return to traditional search results.

“We are excited about the potential of generative AI and will continue testing new features to make it even easier to find and discover, research, and buy products in the Amazon.in marketplace. We look forward to progressively rolling out the beta version of Rufus to additional customers in the coming weeks,” the company said.