Amazon is testing a new search bar AI integration that will generate AI images of products that don’t exist. The idea, the brand claims, is to “make shopping more fun” while helping users figure out what they want, even if they can’t actually buy what visually appeals to them.
In the Amazon app, the search bar now creates visual mockups based on queries in categories like clothing and home décor, then uses those images as a starting point to show similar items. Users can type prompts, see AI-generated results at the top of the interface, and tap them to jump into a similar product grid. For example, someone might describe a “blue gingham dress with puff sleeves,” see an AI-generated image that matches that description, and then browse real dresses that share similar elements, such as patterns, cuts, or colors.
The company positions this as part of its broader push to add AI directly into search, alongside its Alexa for Shopping assistant, which can answer questions and create shopping guides in the search box. But critics accuse the tool of misleading shoppers, who may assume that any detailed product image on Amazon corresponds to an actual item, then feel betrayed when they cannot find that exact piece. As an alternative, Amazon could use AI to improve organization across its huge catalog of real products, rather than inventing new ones.
For brands and sellers, this change means shoppers might see AI-generated ideas first instead of the products they’re actually trying to sell.
