Amazon's AI feature now lets shoppers ask questions to fake podcasters

Rejoice: The Amazon app now lets you ask real shopping questions to its fake podcasters — it's an addition to the "Hear the highlights" AI feature the company introduced last year. Before, the short audio summaries were generated from an unalterable script. Now, the dialogue can adapt to your spoken or typed questions.

Amazon says Hear the Highlights is now available for "millions of products" in the company's mobile app. You'll see a button beneath the product image for supported listings. Choosing this will launch a short (usually a minute or two) AI-generated audio snippet.

The recordings star a "host" and an "expert" of which chat about aspects of the product. What's new is the ability to interrupt the AI broadcasters for a Q&A. After starting the audio, tap the raised hand icon in the audio pop-up, then type or speak (using the mic button) your questions. The AI hosts will continue with their script, squeeze in your question between sections, and then return to their original spiel.

I tried the feature on a listing for an entry-level turntable, asking whether this model supports 78 RPM records and how vinyl fits into a digital streaming world.

"Good questions," the AI expert replied. "On the first one, no. This turntable only plays 33 and 45 revolutions per minute records, so 78s won't work here. As for why vinyl in a streaming world, customers actually talk about this a lot. It's not about convenience, it's about the experience. People mention the warmth of the sound, the ritual of putting on a record, and honestly, the joy of rediscovering albums they've had stored away for decades. One customer said it brought back great memories. It's a different way to connect with music."

There ya go: The expert has spoken. Snark aside, it's a new (if more time-consuming) way to learn about a product. Real-time Q&A is now available for US customers in the Amazon Shopping app for iOS and Android.