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Amazon Introduces Nova Act AI Model for Enhanced Online Tasks

Amazon has unveiled a new artificial intelligence model, Nova Act, aimed at transforming how users conduct online shopping and manage tasks directly within their web browsers. Currently, this innovative model is only accessible to developers during its “research preview” phase, signaling a step towards broader availability of Amazon’s AI capabilities.

Nova Act is designed to perform a variety of functions, drawing comparisons to the Operator agent developed by OpenAI. According to Amazon, Nova Act can conduct web searches, facilitate purchases, and answer queries regarding on-screen content. Notably, it has the capacity to follow more nuanced commands, such as avoiding specific upsells during transactions. While presently limited to developers, the model’s features are being integrated into enhancements for Amazon’s upgraded Alexa Plus assistant.

This latest offering is the inaugural product from Amazon’s Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) Labs, which envisions agents capable of executing complex and multifaceted tasks, such as orchestrating weddings or streamlining intricate IT operations to boost business efficiency. The race to create sophisticated AI agents is not unique to Amazon; numerous tech companies are striving to provide intelligent assistants that deliver comprehensive task management instead of merely answering queries or generating art.

In addition to Nova Act, Amazon is expanding its lineup of AI offerings with five other Nova models introduced in December 2024. This suite includes three models focused on understanding, as well as generators for images and videos. Rather than positioning itself solely on power, Amazon emphasizes the speed and cost-effectiveness of its Nova suite, claiming that these models are “at least 75 percent less expensive” than similar alternatives from competitors.

To facilitate easier access to these AI models, Amazon is launching a dedicated website. This new portal allows developers and users in the United States to utilize the models for content generation and answering inquiries. Previously, the models were only available through Amazon Bedrock, a platform that provided access to both Nova and third-party models from organizations like DeepSeek, Anthropic, and Meta. Rohit Prasad, Senior Vice President of Amazon AGI, highlights that the new site enables developers to efficiently test ideas with Nova models before scaling their implementations using Amazon Bedrock.

Source
www.theverge.com