Indeed it sounds like advertising on the surface, but my original thought was more of something on your side, like a buddy. In Amazon's case, the user is indeed

Indeed it sounds like advertising on the surface, but my original thought was more of something on your side, like a buddy. In Amazon's case, the user is indeed usually in the process of looking for products, so I am not sure that really qualifies as advertisement. In the case of the "AI buddy", I meant not so much a buddy whose purpose is to give you product advice, but more like an all-around digital servant who helps you when you need information or advice -- a digital butler. Two of the most important factors are thus: consent and being driven by consumers rather than producers. In the case of Amazon, to my understanding the product recommendations ("Customers who bought this ...") are based on purchase trends rather than on which producer paid the most to be listed first. Hence, these recommendations should be based on consumer preferences and product fit, rather than on bids by advertisers.