Amazon is leveraging artificial intelligence to combat a common conundrum: the authenticity of messages. According to the company, over 360,000 customers annually contact its customer service worrying whether their Amazon messages are genuine or deceptive. Now, they can query Alexa for Shopping to get a definitive answer.

The AI scrutinises sender information, message content, timing, and metadata, comparing it against billions of authentic Amazon messages. As more suspicious messages are reported, the system learns to better identify scams, suggesting a future where AI's role in detecting fraud becomes increasingly sophisticated.

This move follows Amazon's earlier initiatives to tackle scams, including an email verify@amazon.com for suspicious messages and an online form on its customer service site. The addition of Alexa for Shopping further underlines the retailer's strategy to make the assistant a trusted companion for shopping-related queries.

In a broader context, this AI feature exemplifies how technology is evolving to combat fraud and enhance user trust. It's a step forward in making online shopping safer, but also raises questions about privacy and data use in the process.