Amazon will show AI product images when you search for some reason

In what may be one of the more questionable uses of AI to date, Amazon announced on Wednesday that it will display AI-generated images of products within its shopping app based on users’ search queries. That’s right — a retailer where people shop for real-world products thinks that displaying fake photos will “help” consumers better find what they’re looking for. Enough already. Here’s how Amazon says in a blog post that the feature will work. Customers may have something in mind but don’t know the right term to describe it in a way that returns useful results. (The examples Amazon gives are things like “cowl neck” for a style of shirts or “rattan” for furniture.) Image Credits: Amazon When someone enters a search query, they’ll be shown a variety of AI-generated product images below their autocomplete suggestions. (See above photo.) For instance, if you search for a blue gingham dress, you might see a few dress styles — short or long sleeves, varying lengths, and other differences — appear as visual options. The idea is that clicking one would direct you to search results that better match that style, powered by Amazon’s visual search capabilities. In reality, it’s somewhat bananas for a retailer to make up fake products as a way of guiding users to search results. For starters, it’s potentially misleading — customers who don’t read carefully may think they’re being directed to a page where they could find that exact dress, then be disappointed when it isn’t available. …