Pinterest’s New AI Shopping Assistant: Your Personal Stylist
Pinterest is stepping into the future of online shopping with its new AI-powered shopping assistant. This innovative feature, set to roll out over the coming weeks and months, allows users to receive personalized style recommendations through voice input. This marks a significant step forward in making Pinterest a more interactive and user-friendly platform, as stated by the company.
How the AI Assistant Works
The new AI assistant, as detailed by The Verge, is designed to offer a conversational experience. Users can interact with the platform by holding down a mic button, similar to sending a voice note. The assistant then provides tailored recommendations based on the user’s saved collections and the content currently displayed on their screen. The goal is to make the shopping experience more intuitive and responsive.
According to Pinterest CEO Bill Ready, the platform has evolved into an AI-powered shopping assistant for its nearly 600 million users, with over half being Gen Zers. The new feature focuses on visual recommendations and aims to provide concise descriptions of the suggested pins, as noted by Ryan Galgon, Pinterest’s director of AI products. This visual-first approach is powered by a “multimodal” AI model, which processes audio, images, and text to generate image-based outputs.
The Technology Behind the Assistant
The AI assistant relies on a proprietary “signal” data from users and some off-the-shelf AI models for basic language processing. This system enables users to ask longer, more detailed queries. For example, a user interested in Taylor Swift and knitting can receive recommendations without the need to type out a specific request. This technology allows users to interact with the platform in a more natural way, as Ready explained.
Addressing Previous Concerns
Pinterest has also addressed previous concerns regarding AI-generated content. The platform has begun labeling AI-generated images and introduced a “tuner” feature. This feature allows users to select categories, such as fashion or beauty, to reduce the appearance of AI-generated content in their feeds.
Availability and Future Plans
The new AI feature is currently available in a beta version for adult US users. The company plans to make it widely accessible in the next few weeks and months. This launch represents Pinterest’s commitment to enhancing user experience through advanced AI technology.
Source: The Verge
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