AI Assistants Challenge Amazon's E-Commerce Dominance

According to The Information, companies including Google, Perplexity and OpenAI are developing AI-powered shopping assistants aimed at redirecting purchases away from Amazon and reshaping online retail. These tools aggregate product listings, compare prices, and offer conversational, personalized recommendations, potentially affecting a retail market worth trillions annually. The trend raises engineering challenges around fragmented product data, checkout integration, and real-time inventory accuracy.