After blocking Muse, Amazon now lets users text Alexa to help them shop

Amazon is launching a feature allowing customers to text Alexa to shop on Amazon using natural language queries, including searching, adding to cart, and purchasing. The feature will roll out to millions of users in the coming weeks. Select U.S. customers will receive a text asking them to enable the feature. The text agent can also manage lists, keep track of prices, and search for similar listings on Amazon based on a picture of an item or an outfit. Alexa will learn users' preferences over time and suggest items accordingly. This move comes after Amazon blocked Meta's Muse from querying its site in September and is aimed at capitalizing on the growing market for consumer-focused AI agents. The feature builds on recent shopping-focused upgrades to Alexa, which include searching across the web, comparing products, and checking order status. DoorDash, another company, has also launched a text-based agent and plans to concentrate on developing it further, placing only hundreds of orders through third-party agents so far. Amazon's move is timed to coincide with the holiday shopping season, with the Founder Summit starting on November 4.