Amazon search bar invents AI-generated products you can't buy

Amazon has integrated AI image generation directly into its search bar, inventing fake products to help you find real ones. When you start typing a description like 'shirt with a draped collar' (instead of 'cowl neck'), the app instantly creates several AI-generated images of clothing or home goods that match your query. You can then tap the image that best represents what you're looking for, and Amazon will surface real products that look similar. The feature currently only works for clothing and home goods, and is rolling out on Android and iOS.

This mirrors a similar feature Google launched last year in AI Mode, which also generates fake outfits and decorations to guide shoppers to real lookalike products. Notably, Amazon's existing 'shop by style' feature uses AI-generated collages of outfits, but the actual clothing items in those collages are real and purchasable. The new search bar, however, explicitly invents products you cannot buy—they serve purely as visual aids to bridge the gap between what you can describe and what you want to purchase.