New Amazon Tool Lets Shoppers Ask Real-Time Questions

Amazon is making online shopping a lot more conversational with the launch of “Join the Chat,” a new interactive feature powered by generative AI. This update builds on the existing “Hear the Highlights” tool, which provides shoppers with short, podcast-style audio summaries of products.

Now, instead of just listening to a pre-scripted overview, customers can actively participate by asking questions and getting answers in real time. The feature is designed to solve a common problem for online shoppers: the time-consuming task of digging through hundreds of customer reviews.

By using the Amazon Shopping app, users can now listen to AI-generated hosts discuss a product’s pros and cons, and if they have a specific concern, they can interrupt the conversation to get clarity.

When browsing a product detail page on the Amazon app, users may see a Hear the Highlights button beneath the product image. Tapping this starts an audio segment where two AI hosts, often sounding like a host and an expert, discuss the item. With the addition of Join the Chat, a new “raised-hand” icon appears during playback.

Tapping this icon allows the user to either type a question or use their microphone to ask it out loud. For example, a shopper looking at a coffee maker might ask, “Is this machine easy for a beginner to use?” or “Does it fit under standard kitchen cabinets?” The AI hosts will then pause their scripted summary, and address the specific question using data from product specs and existing customer reviews.

Currently, Join the Chat is available to U.S. customers using the Amazon Shopping app on both iOS and Android devices. While the feature is already active on millions of products, Amazon plans to continue expanding its reach as the AI models learn to handle more complex and technical queries