Amazon launched Lens Live, an AI-powered upgrade to its Amazon Lens visual search tool, transforming how consumers shop by integrating real-time product discovery into the Amazon Shopping app. Unlike the existing Amazon Lens, which allows users to upload images, snap photos, or scan barcodes to find products, Lens Live enables instant scanning of real-world objects through a smartphone camera, displaying matching items in a swipeable carousel. This feature, initially available to tens of millions of U.S. iOS users, is set to roll out to more customers in the coming months, with Android support expected later. Amazon’s integration of its AI shopping assistant, Rufus, enhances the experience by providing product summaries, suggested questions, and real-time answers, streamlining the path from discovery to purchase.
Lens Live operates using advanced computer vision models running on-device, powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS) technologies like SageMaker and OpenSearch. These models identify objects in real time, matching them against Amazon’s vast catalog of billions of products. Users can point their camera at items—like a pair of shoes in a store or a lamp in a café—and instantly see similar or exact matches, with options to add items to their cart or wishlist directly from the camera view. According to Amazon’s Vice President of Stores Foundational AI, Trishul Chilimbi, the feature uses deep-learning visual embedding models to ensure fast, accurate matches, making it a competitor to Google Lens and Pinterest Lens but with a stronger focus on seamless e-commerce integration.
The launch reflects Amazon’s broader push to embed AI across its platform, following features like AI-generated shopping guides and enhanced product reviews. Lens Live caters to impulse shoppers and those comparing in-store items, potentially disrupting traditional retail by offering real-time price checks and purchase options. However, the feature’s initial iOS exclusivity and lack of confirmed global expansion plans have sparked some criticism on X, where users express excitement about its convenience but frustration over limited access. Posts on X also highlight Lens Live’s “addictive” potential, comparing it to Google’s Gemini Live but noting Amazon’s “buy” button emphasis as a game-changer for impulse purchases.
While Amazon touts Lens Live as a revolutionary tool, concerns linger about its implications. The feature’s design encourages rapid purchases, raising questions about consumer spending habits in an AI-driven shopping landscape. Privacy concerns also surface, as the tool processes real-time camera data, though Amazon assures users that its on-device processing minimizes data exposure. As Amazon continues to innovate, Lens Live positions the company at the forefront of AI-driven commerce, challenging competitors and redefining how consumers interact with the world as a shoppable catalog.
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