The next big thing in the field of artificial intelligence is Agentic AI, which is essentially an AI tool that can automate certain multi-step processes for users. For example, interacting with a web browser for tasks like booking tickets or ordering groceries. 

Amazon certainly sees a future in there. After giving a massive overhaul to Alexa and introducing a new Alexa+ assistant, the company has today announced a new AI agent called Nova Act. Amazon says Nova Act is designed to “complete tasks in a web browser.” Amazon won’t be the first to reach this milestone, as few other AI companies have already attempted this vision. 

OpenAI’s Operator is designed to handle the repetitive and mundane parts of web browsing on users’ behalf, such as filling out forms or placing online orders. The folks behind Opera browser are also building an Operator that can pull off something similar using natural language commands given by users. 

In Amazon’s case, the Nova Act AI agent has been built atop Nova, the company’s own portfolio of foundation AI models that were announced a few months ago. It can break down multi-step workflows into smaller inputs, such as performing a search, adding items, checking out, or answering questions based on the on-screen activity. 

Based on internal tests, Amazon’s agentic AI tool is touted to perform better than rival products from OpenAI and Anthropic. The company says it is eying an accuracy level of over 90%, especially at browser-based tasks where AI tools often fail, such as pop-ups, drop-down menu interactions, and dates. 

Nova is currently in the research preview phase and has been offered to developers. “Our dream is for agents to perform wide-ranging, complex, multi-step tasks like organizing a wedding or handling complex IT tasks to increase business productivity,” says the company.

Interestingly, the foundations of Nova Act have already been integrated within the Alexa+ framework. It allows the virtual assistant to browse the web on behalf of users and get chores done. That’s a massive bonus for Amazon when it comes to reaching an audience for the Nova Act tool. 

Access to Alexa+ is currently limited to Prime subscribers or those willing to pay a monthly fee for the next-gen assistant. Unlike the pricey agentic Operator from OpenAI, Amazon has a much bigger audience sitting with the right hardware at home to experiment with Alexa+ and the underlying Nova Act capabilities.