On Monday, Amazon introduced a new feature that allows anyone to design merchandise using AI, posing an expanded challenge to online merch platforms like Redbubble, Bonfire, Spring, Fourthwall, and others. The company announced that people are now able to create new products via Alexa for Shopping using AI prompts.
In doing so, anyone can turn their idea into a design that can be featured on items from apparel to tumblers and more available through Amazon’s print-on-demand service, Merch on Demand.
The service could be useful for printing one-off designs — like T-shirts for a family reunion, a personalized gift of some type, or to create products featuring a portrait of your dog, Amazon suggests. (Artists whose work has been used to train AI models may be less enthusiastic about this type of idea, of course.)
After prompting to create the design, Amazon handles the production and delivery of the items through Prime shipping, the company says.
The move puts AI-generated merchandise directly inside Amazon’s Shopping app, lowering the barrier for consumers who want to turn ideas into physical products but lack traditional design skills. While typically, print-on-demand businesses have catered to creators and various organizations, Amazon’s new feature could make AI-designed merchandise become just another shopping option.
