Amazon is rolling out Rufus, its generative AI-powered shopping assistant to Canada, finally.
The expansion sees Rufus come to Canada after being made available in the U.S., UK and India, where customers have already asked the AI assistant “tens of millions of questions.” Rufus was first announced in the U.S. back in February of this year.
Why the name Rufus? Well, that was the name of the first dog that joined Amazon employees at offices. Back in 1996, Rufus was the name of a Welsh corgi that roamed the company’s first warehouse (a former janitorial supply warehouse in Seattle) and joined in on meetings.
Rufus can answer a variety of shopping-related questions, from “What’s the best gift for a 5-year-old?” to detailed product comparisons like “How is a drip coffee maker different from pour-over?” The AI assistant makes finding the right products easier by integrating directly into Amazon’s mobile app.
Customers using Rufus can also ask broader questions, such as “What do I need for rock climbing?” and receive customized recommendations. Multiple suggestions will appear and you can just swipe down to hide Rufus in the mobile app.
“We are excited about the potential of generative AI and will continue testing new features to make it even easier to find and discover, research, and buy products on Amazon’s store,” said Amazon in a statement to iPhone in Canada.
Though Rufus is still in development and may not always get answers right, Amazon says customers should give feedback by rating responses with a thumbs up or down.
First available in beta to some users in Canada through the Amazon app, Rufus will gradually expand to more customers in the coming weeks. We’re not seeing Rufus in our Amazon app yet, but we’ll keep you updated.