5 ms·

Amazon's AI chatbot Rufus is now live for all US customers

17 points by mikece 2y ago

insane_dreamer 2y ago
it's like if you don't have an AI chatbot, no matter whether it actually improves the customer experience, are you even a company?
- add-sub-mul-div 2y ago
  It would be interesting to have a list of companies not run by NPCs mindlessly chasing after the perceived next big thing.
rolph 2y ago
there is a prior product/service of that moniker. will the real rufus please stand up. Create bootable USB drives the easy way https://rufus.ie/en/ https://rufus.ie/en/
- add-sub-mul-div 2y ago
  That one looks useful and likely to be still around 24 months from now.
  - sickofparadox 2y ago
    I use rufus all the time, I can vouch for its usefulness!
- brudgers 2y ago
  Reusing names is normal. E.g. https://www.google.com/search?q=rolph https://www.google.com/search?q=rolph
dougbarrett 2y ago
I wonder why they didn’t just continue this under the Alexa product?
- rolph 2y ago
  https://www.extremetech.com/internet/341090-amazon-alexa-deemed-colossal-failure-following-10-billion-loss https://www.extremetech.com/internet/341090-amazon-alexa-dee... [2022]
altairprime 2y ago
Is there any way to disable it?
- ssl-3 2y ago
  Shop elsewhere?
  - altairprime 2y ago
    I certainly support that recommendation, but it’s not responsive to my question.
    - ssl-3 2y ago
      Pretend that the button to activate it is a flashing clock on a VCR, and put some black tape over it?
ssl-3 2y ago
I noticed that Rufus popped up for me a few weeks ago in the Amazon app on my pocket supercomputer. It was late and I was bored when I first saw it, so I dinked around with it for a bit. It was clearly and obviously ChatGPT, and it was stupendously simple to jailbreak it to do arbitrary ChatGPT things (by basically just giving it verbal permission to do so). It wrote some dummy code for me. It dabbled around with fairly simple physics questions. (I don't verify any of the output -- I was just goofing around.) By the very next day, I couldn't get it to do any of that at all, but it was still capable of having a potentially-productive conversation about stuff for sale on Amazon. I expected that this might develop into something actually-useful at some point, and it seemed like it was getting closer. But more recently, it doesn't even remember what the last prompt was, so conversations (even about product details that would help me make a purchase) are a foregone conclusion. Thus, Rufus is presently approximately as annoying and devoid of context with its insipid repetitiousness as my nearly-useless Alexa devices are.
poikroequ 2y ago
I tested it out. I asked what is the TBW on an SSD. It got it wrong of course, said 400tbw when the correct value is 600tbw. Don't trust chatbots, kids. But what's terrible, there used to be a spot where you can search questions and reviews by keyword. That's gone now and they've replaced it with this generative AI crap. Rather than seeing useful answers/reviews with extra details and context, now all you get is an oversimplified AI generated summary that's likely wrong, and you have no way of verifying apart from skimming through the thousands of reviews.
- malshe 2y ago
  > But what's terrible, there used to be a spot where you can search questions and reviews by keyword. That's gone now and they've replaced it with this generative AI crap. Rather than seeing useful answers/reviews with extra details and context, now all you get is an oversimplified AI generated summary that's likely wrong, and you have no way of verifying apart from skimming through the thousands of reviews. Damn, this sucks big time! This was a really useful feature
- GloriousKoji 2y ago
  After you ask the question and wait way too long to generate an AI response there's a "Show related answers" link which works like the old search. So it's not completely gone just yet.
  - poikroequ 2y ago
    I see it in the Amazon app. Thanks for pointing this out! I also checked the Amazon website today and now I see the old search box. I would guess they're doing A/B testing right now.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
nothercastle 2y ago
Just rename it to Dufus to be an indicator of what it can actually do
- spacecadet 2y ago
  I snorted, thank you.
- latentsea 2y ago
  Isn't there some chess grandmaster who's catchphrase is "Rufus and dufus"? This made me remember that.
  - funkychicken 2y ago
    Ben Finegold!
spacecadet 2y ago
I was able to get Rufus (in beta) to sell me combinations of items that would lead to my death or dismemberment. Fun times. I also got the Kardashian(?) bot on Meta to create skin care products using deadly chemicals. LOL.
nyxtom 2y ago
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=3711811 https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=...

17 points by mikece 2y ago

it's like if you don't have an AI chatbot, no matter whether it actually improves the customer experience, are you even a company?

add-sub-mul-div 2y ago
It would be interesting to have a list of companies not run by NPCs mindlessly chasing after the perceived next big thing.

rolph 2y ago

there is a prior product/service of that moniker. will the real rufus please stand up. Create bootable USB drives the easy way https://rufus.ie/en/ https://rufus.ie/en/

add-sub-mul-div 2y ago
That one looks useful and likely to be still around 24 months from now.
- sickofparadox 2y ago
  I use rufus all the time, I can vouch for its usefulness!
brudgers 2y ago
Reusing names is normal. E.g. https://www.google.com/search?q=rolph https://www.google.com/search?q=rolph

dougbarrett 2y ago

I wonder why they didn’t just continue this under the Alexa product?

rolph 2y ago
https://www.extremetech.com/internet/341090-amazon-alexa-deemed-colossal-failure-following-10-billion-loss https://www.extremetech.com/internet/341090-amazon-alexa-dee... [2022]

altairprime 2y ago

Is there any way to disable it?

ssl-3 2y ago
Shop elsewhere?
- altairprime 2y ago
  I certainly support that recommendation, but it’s not responsive to my question.
  - ssl-3 2y ago
    Pretend that the button to activate it is a flashing clock on a VCR, and put some black tape over it?

ssl-3 2y ago

I noticed that Rufus popped up for me a few weeks ago in the Amazon app on my pocket supercomputer. It was late and I was bored when I first saw it, so I dinked around with it for a bit. It was clearly and obviously ChatGPT, and it was stupendously simple to jailbreak it to do arbitrary ChatGPT things (by basically just giving it verbal permission to do so). It wrote some dummy code for me. It dabbled around with fairly simple physics questions. (I don't verify any of the output -- I was just goofing around.) By the very next day, I couldn't get it to do any of that at all, but it was still capable of having a potentially-productive conversation about stuff for sale on Amazon. I expected that this might develop into something actually-useful at some point, and it seemed like it was getting closer. But more recently, it doesn't even remember what the last prompt was, so conversations (even about product details that would help me make a purchase) are a foregone conclusion. Thus, Rufus is presently approximately as annoying and devoid of context with its insipid repetitiousness as my nearly-useless Alexa devices are.

poikroequ 2y ago

I tested it out. I asked what is the TBW on an SSD. It got it wrong of course, said 400tbw when the correct value is 600tbw. Don't trust chatbots, kids. But what's terrible, there used to be a spot where you can search questions and reviews by keyword. That's gone now and they've replaced it with this generative AI crap. Rather than seeing useful answers/reviews with extra details and context, now all you get is an oversimplified AI generated summary that's likely wrong, and you have no way of verifying apart from skimming through the thousands of reviews.

malshe 2y ago
> But what's terrible, there used to be a spot where you can search questions and reviews by keyword. That's gone now and they've replaced it with this generative AI crap. Rather than seeing useful answers/reviews with extra details and context, now all you get is an oversimplified AI generated summary that's likely wrong, and you have no way of verifying apart from skimming through the thousands of reviews. Damn, this sucks big time! This was a really useful feature
GloriousKoji 2y ago
After you ask the question and wait way too long to generate an AI response there's a "Show related answers" link which works like the old search. So it's not completely gone just yet.
- poikroequ 2y ago
  I see it in the Amazon app. Thanks for pointing this out! I also checked the Amazon website today and now I see the old search box. I would guess they're doing A/B testing right now.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]

nothercastle 2y ago

Just rename it to Dufus to be an indicator of what it can actually do

spacecadet 2y ago
I snorted, thank you.
latentsea 2y ago
Isn't there some chess grandmaster who's catchphrase is "Rufus and dufus"? This made me remember that.
- funkychicken 2y ago
  Ben Finegold!

spacecadet 2y ago

I was able to get Rufus (in beta) to sell me combinations of items that would lead to my death or dismemberment. Fun times. I also got the Kardashian(?) bot on Meta to create skin care products using deadly chemicals. LOL.

nyxtom 2y ago

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=3711811 https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=...