Facebook details the AI behind its shopping experiences

Facebook today announced improvements to the shopping experiences across its platform, including Facebook Shops, a new way for businesses to set up a single online store for customers to access on Facebook and Instagram. The company characterized the new products -- all of which are powered by a family of new AI and machine learning system -- as a step toward its vision of an all-in-one AI assistant that can search and rank products, while at the same time personalizing its recommendations to individual tastes. Ecommerce businesses like Facebook Marketplace lean on AI to automate a host of behind-the-scenes tasks, from learning preferences and body types to understanding the factors that might influence purchase decisions. McKinsey estimates that Amazon, which recently deployed AI to handle incoming shopper inquiries, generates 35% of all sales from its product recommendation engine. Beyond ranking, AI from startups like ModiFace, Vue.ai, Edited, Syte, and Adverity enable customers to try on shades of lipstick virtually, see model images in every size, and spot trends and sales over time.