Amazon is launching a new AI-powered selling assistant called “Project Amelia” to assist sellers in navigating the complexities of e-commerce. The AI assistant, which is based on generative artificial intelligence, will be able to answer questions and provide guidance to sellers. Over time, Project Amelia will also function as an autonomous agent, anticipating the needs of sellers and taking action to resolve issues in their storefronts, supply chains, and other areas. The beta version of Project Amelia is being announced at Amazon’s Accelerate seller conference in Seattle, where it will be available through a conversational interface within the Amazon Seller Central portal.
Dharmesh Mehta, Amazon’s VP of Worldwide Selling Partner Services, explained that Project Amelia was created to provide sellers with an expert assistant to help them with various aspects of their business. The AI assistant will combine general knowledge of Amazon’s platform with specific insights into the seller’s situation, allowing them to get an overview of their business, seek advice on product categories, pricing, and advertising strategies. As the technology evolves, Project Amelia will be able to take action on behalf of sellers, such as helping to resolve issues like missing inventory or shipping delays.
Sellers are a crucial part of Amazon’s business, accounting for more than 60% of sales on Amazon.com. Amazon’s third-party seller services generated over $148 billion in revenue in the past year, representing nearly 25% of the company’s total revenue. Amazon faces competition in this sector from major retailers and e-commerce platforms such as Walmart, Target, Alibaba, and Shopify. The release of Project Amelia comes amid ongoing legal challenges, including a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission alleging that Amazon illegally leverages its monopoly power over sellers.
Along with Project Amelia, Amazon is introducing a range of new AI features for sellers. These features include the ability to generate product listings from text, URLs, or images, as well as the upcoming release of a new AI video generator that can automatically create video ads for sellers. Amazon’s generative AI features have seen significant adoption, with more than 400,000 sellers globally utilizing them, a number that has doubled in the past two months. Project Amelia was built on the Amazon Bedrock generative AI platform, allowing the company to leverage different AI models to power the assistant’s experience.
The Project Amelia beta will be initially available to a select group of U.S.-based sellers before expanding to all U.S. sellers over the coming month. It will then be rolled out internationally. The company’s use of a code name for the project suggests that it may be given a different name when officially released. Amazon’s commitment to AI-driven features for sellers reflects its ongoing efforts to provide tools and resources to support sellers and enhance their e-commerce experience.
