Amazon's AI voiceovers will talk you through product features
Emma Roth is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO.
Amazon is testing new AI-generated audio summaries that will let you listen to two AI “hosts” chat about a product’s features. Along with product details, the AI audio clips also draw information from user reviews and information from the web.
The feature is currently available for select products on Amazon’s mobile app, including the Ninja Blender, OSEA Undaria Algae Body Oil, SHOKZ OpenRun Pro, and the SafeRest Waterproof Mattress Protector. You can try it out by hitting the “Hear the highlights” button beneath the product.
The audio summaries open with a “friendly reminder” that you’re listening to an AI-generated clip, followed by an introduction to an “expert” AI host who’s supposed to give you a rundown of a product’s features. It’s similar to Google’s AI-generated audio overviews, which have two AI hosts discuss your research, documents, or slides in a podcast-like format.
In the clip for the SHOKZ OpenRun Pro, the AI host introduces us to “Max,” who says the key difference about these headphones is that they “conduct sound through your cheekbones instead of going into your ears.” The AI host then follows up with questions about the headphones, like who would benefit from the design and whether the sound quality is up to par.
“While the microphone gets praise for noise cancellation, some users find they’re not loud enough for an immersive music experience,” the AI “expert” Max says. “But customers do mention they’re better than earpods in certain situations.”
Amazon’s AI-generated audio summaries are currently only available to some customers in the US, but the company plans on bringing them to more products and customers in the “coming months.”
