Amazon has unveiled Lens Live, a significant upgrade to its visual search tool Amazon Lens, which lets shoppers find products simply by pointing their smartphone camera.

The new tool, now rolling out to millions of iOS users in the US, instantly scans objects and serves up real-time matches from Amazon’s vast catalogue.

Results are displayed in a swipeable carousel, letting shoppers quickly compare items, add them directly to their cart, or save them to a wish list without leaving the camera view.

What sets Lens Live apart from rivals like Google Lens is its integration with Amazon’s AI shopping assistant, Rufus.

As products are scanned, Rufus generates instant summaries, highlights key features, and suggests questions to help customers make faster, more informed decisions. Shoppers can also interact with Rufus in real time to clarify details before making a purchase.

“Lens Live combines advanced computer vision with generative AI to remove friction from the shopping journey,” said Trishul Chilimbi, Amazon’s Vice President of Stores Foundational AI.

Behind the scenes, Lens Live runs on AWS services including OpenSearch and SageMaker, using lightweight machine-learning models to identify products on-device before matching them against billions of listings.

Amazon says this delivers a smooth, real-time experience without requiring constant user input.

While the feature is debuting in the US, it’s part of a broader push by Amazon to bring more AI-driven discovery tools to its platform. Analysts expect Lens Live to eventually land in international markets such as Australia.

The timing also reflects growing competition in AI-powered search.

Apple is embedding visual intelligence into iOS, while Google continues to expand Lens and Gemini integration.

Amazon’s edge, however, lies in keeping the entire experience within its retail ecosystem.

For consumers, that could mean less searching and scrolling, and more impulse purchases powered by AI.