Amazon has introduced a new feature that allows customers to shop by using their smartphone cameras. The company unveiled Lens Live on Thursday, a tool designed to scan items in the user’s surroundings and provide matching product listings from its extensive online marketplace.
This feature, currently available only on the Amazon Shopping app for iOS users, enables individuals to either scan a room or focus on specific items. Amazon has noted that Lens Live employs an object detection model to identify the products visible through the camera in real-time, comparing them to billions of available products on its platform.
Once similar items are detected, Lens Live presents them in a swipeable carousel format, offering options for users to add these products to their carts or wishlists. This functionality resembles Google’s Gemini Live, which also allows users to scan objects and inquire about them. However, Amazon’s version prominently features a “buy” button for each item displayed.
The Lens Live feature is additionally integrated with Amazon’s AI assistant, Rufus, which can summarize product descriptions and respond to user inquiries. This new tool builds upon Amazon’s existing visual search capabilities, which enable customers to find products by uploading images, scanning barcodes, or taking photos directly within the app.
Amazon has indicated plans to expand the availability of Lens Live to a broader audience in the coming weeks.
