Amazon's Alexa+ powers new AI shopping assistant replacing Rufus

Amazon announced on Wednesday 'Alexa for Shopping,' a new AI shopping assistant powered by Alexa+ that replaces the earlier Rufus generative AI assistant. Now available to US customers across mobile, desktop, and Echo Show smart displays, the assistant is designed to offer a voice- and touch-enabled shopping experience. Unlike Rufus, which focused on product discovery and comparison, Alexa for Shopping provides personalized recommendations and automates shopping tasks. It can answer questions like 'What's a good skincare routine for men?' or 'When did I last order AA batteries?' by understanding user habits, preferences, and purchase history. Users can type questions into the search bar or a dedicated chat window, and Alexa will create custom shopping guides, compare products, track prices, and schedule recurring orders for essentials like pet food or paper towels.

Beyond Amazon's marketplace, the assistant can shop other online retailers using its 'Buy for Me' feature, which automatically handles purchases when conditions are met—for example, 'Add this sunscreen to my cart if the price drops to $10.' This convenience raises privacy and autonomy concerns as AI gains more control over transactions. The launch follows Amazon's introduction of 'Amazon Now' 30-minute delivery in dozens of US cities and a new AI feature that generates real-time conversational audio responses to customer product questions. With Alexa for Shopping, Amazon is deepening AI's role in e-commerce, aiming to make shopping more seamless and personalized while blurring the line between human and automated decision-making.