Amazon Unveils Project Amelia: AI Assistant Designed to Empower Sellers

Amazon has launched an innovative AI assistant to support sellers in optimizing their businesses by answering queries related to metrics and addressing emerging issues. Known as Project Amelia and powered by AWS's Amazon Bedrock, this assistant is now available in beta for U.S. sellers as of Thursday.

Initially, select U.S. sellers will gain immediate access, with a broader rollout planned for later, followed by its introduction in additional countries and various languages later this year.

The aim of Project Amelia, according to Amazon, is to equip sellers with the tools needed to effectively manage and grow their operations.

At its launch, sellers can retrieve critical information such as sales figures and customer traffic. They can simply ask questions like, “How is my business performing?” The AI will then provide a summary of key metrics, including recent sales figures, units sold, and website traffic, while benchmarking these statistics against the same period last year. Additionally, sellers can pose follow-up inquiries focused on specific products and their respective performance metrics.

In a future update, the assistant will assist with problem resolution and other operational tasks. For instance, sellers might ask, “I have 300 units on the way, but this isn't reflected in my report. Can someone investigate?” In response, they’ll receive personalized guidance, and if necessary, be connected to Amazon's support team for deeper assistance. In such scenarios, the assistant resembles a traditional chatbot.

Looking ahead, Project Amelia is expected to provide sellers with further management assistance and may even autonomously solve problems on their behalf, although specific details regarding these enhancements and their timeline remain undisclosed.

Mary Beth Westmoreland, VP of Amazon’s Worldwide Selling Partner Experience, emphasizes the importance of equipping sellers with effective tools. She states in a blog post, “By harnessing the transformative capabilities of generative AI, we are developing technologies that enhance how sellers manage and expand their businesses. Innovations like Project Amelia are streamlining the process, enabling sellers to allocate more time towards product development and enhancing customer satisfaction.”

This rollout follows Amazon’s launch of another AI chatbot for consumers, named Rufus, introduced in the U.S. this summer. On the consumer front, Amazon employs AI to assist customers in finding well-fitting clothing and improving product reviews. For sellers, Amazon had previously launched generative AI tools to facilitate product listing creation, along with tools for generating advertising backgrounds using AI.

Additionally, on Thursday, Amazon disclosed its use of generative AI to refine product recommendations for customers and enhance product descriptions, continuing to push the boundaries of AI in e-commerce.

Keywords: AI assistant, Amazon sellers, Project Amelia, business growth, generative AI, sales metrics, customer support, e-commerce solutions, automation.