Amazon Is Quietly Bringing Ads to Rufus, Its Gen AI Search Engine

But ad buyers are cautious about the placements

Amazons gen AI shopping tool Rufus — Amazon is putting ads into Rufus, its gen AI shopping tool.Amazon

Amazon is starting to plug ads into generative AI.

Sponsored ads—Amazon’s core search ad format—could start appearing in placements for Rufus, according to Amazon Ads’ product releases for September. Rufus is Amazon’s seven-month-old shopping assistant that uses gen AI to help people find products within Amazon’s mobile app.

Rufus is a chatbot that can answer questions about the types of products that people are looking for—like what qualities or ingredients someone should consider when making a purchase. For example, asking Rufus to find products for travel pulls up links and the accompanying product detail pages for leakproof silicone bottles, travel adapters, and a portable charger.

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Lauren Johnson

Lauren Johnson is Adweek's deputy editor of commerce, where she runs Adweek's retail and influencer marketing coverage. Before joining Adweek in 2024, she was an advertising reporter at Business Insider for six years and previously covered technology for Adweek.

@laurenjohnson| lauren.johnson@adweek.com