Amazon has introduced Nova Act, a general-purpose AI agent designed to autonomously navigate web browsers and perform routine online tasks. The unveiling marks a major leap in Amazon’s push into artificial intelligence, as the company seeks to keep pace with others like OpenAI and Anthropic, which have been developing similar agentic AI technologies.
Developed by Amazon’s San Francisco-based AGI lab, Nova Act is expected to power key features of the upcoming Alexa+, a generative AI-enhanced version of Amazon’s voice assistant. Alongside Nova Act, Amazon is also releasing the Nova Act SDK, a developer toolkit aimed at enabling businesses and programmers to build custom AI-powered agent applications.
Nova Act’s launch comes amid an intensifying AI arms race among major US technology firms, each striving to develop more advanced, autonomous AI systems. The industry has already seen leading tech companies roll out their own AI models and agents, and Amazon’s entry further underscores the growing push by firms to stake their claim in the AI-driven future.
Register for Tekedia Mini-MBA edition 17 (June 9 – Sept 6, 2025) today for early bird discounts. Do annual for access to Blucera.com.
Tekedia AI in Business Masterclass opens registrations.
Join Tekedia Capital Syndicate and co-invest in great global startups.
Register to become a better CEO or Director with Tekedia CEO & Director Program.
Nova Act’s launch comes amid an intensifying AI arms race among major US technology firms, each striving to develop more advanced, autonomous AI systems. The industry has already seen leading tech companies roll out their own AI models and agents, and Amazon’s entry further underscores the growing urgency for firms to stake their claim in the AI-driven future.
Several US companies have already launched their own AI models, with most big players expected to introduce agentic AI systems in the near future.
OpenAI, through its ChatGPT platform based on GPT-4, has been at the forefront of the AI revolution while also working on Operator AI, an agent designed to enhance automation in web navigation. Google has introduced Gemini AI, its flagship large language model, and is actively developing AI agents capable of operating autonomously in web environments. Anthropic, backed by investments from Amazon and Google, has developed Claude 3 AI, a direct competitor to ChatGPT, alongside its Computer Use AI agent for digital task execution.
Meta (Facebook) is integrating Llama AI models across its ecosystem, including WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger, while also working on AI-driven personal assistants. Microsoft, as a major investor in OpenAI, is embedding AI copilots across its products, including Office 365, Bing, and Windows, signaling a broader push toward agentic AI. Apple, though relatively quiet, is reportedly developing its own AI models, likely to be integrated into Siri and iOS-powered applications. X, a social media platform owned by Elon Musk has developed xAI in competition with OpenAI.
The AI race among these tech giants is expected to intensify in the coming months as each firm develops AI-powered assistants capable of automating digital tasks and redefining human-computer interaction.
Amazon is betting big on Nova Act, positioning it as a direct competitor to OpenAI’s Operator and Anthropic’s Computer Use AI. The agent is designed to take control of web browsers, fill out forms, make reservations, and automate simple digital interactions, eliminating the need for manual web navigation.
The e-commerce giant claims Nova Act outperforms rivals on internal tests, particularly on ScreenSpot Web Text, which measures how AI agents interact with text on screens. Nova Act reportedly scored 94%, compared to OpenAI’s 88% and Anthropic’s 90%. However, Amazon has not yet benchmarked Nova Act on broader AI agent evaluations like WebVoyager, making external comparisons difficult.
While Amazon is late to the AI assistant race, its Alexa+ integration could give Nova Act the largest reach among mainstream consumers. With over 100 million Alexa-enabled devices worldwide, Nova Act could have an advantage in real-world adoption if Amazon successfully integrates it into home automation, shopping, and online services.
Nova Act’s debut comes amid challenges with AI agents. Early AI models from OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic have struggled with reliability, often making mistakes that a human would not. Slow performance, inconsistencies, and difficulty in executing multi-step tasks remain barriers to widespread adoption.
For Amazon, the key question is whether Nova Act can overcome these hurdles. If successful, Nova Act could reshape digital interactions, making AI-powered web browsing, online transactions, and personal automation a mainstream reality. However, if it suffers from the same flaws as competitors, it could deter its adoption.
However, Nova Act represents Amazon’s most ambitious AI push yet, and its performance could determine whether the company emerges as a serious AI contender or remains a step behind OpenAI, Google, and X in the battle for AI dominance.