Amazon’s new AI agent is designed to do your shopping

Amazon has recently unveiled Nova Act, a new AI model that's making waves in the tech world. Designed to execute tasks directly in your browser, like online shopping, Nova Act is currently in a "research preview" phase, accessible only to developers. But that's not all—Amazon is also broadening access to its other Nova AI models through a new web portal, making it simpler for users to explore and utilize these tools.

Nova Act, in many ways, echoes the capabilities of OpenAI's Operator agent. It's not just about browsing the web; this model can conduct searches, complete purchases, and even respond to queries about what's displayed on your screen. What's more, it can follow a schedule for task execution and handle more nuanced instructions, such as declining insurance upsells during a purchase. While it's still in the hands of developers, Nova Act is already enhancing the capabilities of the upgraded Alexa Plus assistant, performing various online tasks.

This innovative model marks the first release from Amazon's Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) Labs. The lab's vision is ambitious: to create AI agents capable of managing intricate, multi-step tasks, from organizing a wedding to streamlining complex IT operations for businesses. Amazon isn't alone in this race; numerous companies are vying to develop AI agents that can do more than just answer questions or create art—they're aiming for AI that can truly assist in our daily lives.

To make these models more accessible, Amazon has launched a dedicated website for developers and users in the US. This platform allows them to interact with the models directly, using them to answer questions or create content. Previously, access to these models was limited to Amazon Bedrock, a platform within Amazon Web Services that also hosts third-party models from companies like DeepSeek, Anthropic, and Meta. According to Rohit Prasad, SVP of Amazon AGI, this new site is designed to help developers "quickly test their ideas with Nova models, and then implement them at scale in Amazon Bedrock."