We live in an age of technology that is incredibly dynamic. While we can certainly identify many positive aspects of this, it also brings various threats. Today, it is easier than ever to get lost between real and fake information, counterfeits, and fraud. Solutions are constantly being sought to address these challenges, and Amazon is tackling them by leveraging the power of artificial intelligence (AI).
How Does Amazon Use AI To Combat Intentional Malicious Activity?
Since 2021, the company has nurtured a strong vision to make every effort to protect its audience and stakeholders from counterfeit products.
Considering their opportunities in recent years, Amazon claims to have invested more than a billion dollars, employing thousands of people including machine learning scientists, software developers, and expert investigators whose mission is to protect customers, brands, selling partners, and the company’s store from fraud, illicit sales, and more.
The company’s protection strategies are focused on four main areas:
- Strong and effective proactive efforts to safeguard the Amazon store.
- Industry-leading tools that support this protection.
- Increasing accountability for harm.
- Better customer protection and education.
Perhaps one of the most important aspects of the company’s operations in 2024 is the use of AI to prevent violations. Automated intellectual property protection and counterfeit detection systems can offer innovative solutions and report malicious activity quickly and efficiently. These systems have succeeded in doing so in 99% of cases.
Amazon has also developed a Transparency program, through which 2.5 billion product units were verified for authenticity. Meanwhile, with AI and machine learning — which ensure data-driven responses, real-time performance, automation, fast reactions, and issue reporting — the company managed to identify, seize, and remove over 15 million items.
The Market Threat is Very Real
Following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, e-commerce activities intensified, resulting in a sharp increase in fraud cases, which in 2020 accounted for 38% of all reported counterfeits incidents globally.
Statistics from 2022 show that security breaches continue to cause harm, with online payment counterfeits losses exceeding 40 billion USD.
Artificial intelligence can be employed in this area in various ways. For instance, AI algorithms can analyse transactions in real time to detect suspicious activity. Transactions are continuously monitored, and based on predefined patterns, immediate actions can be taken.
At the same time, machine learning models are trained using massive datasets of historical transactions, enabling them to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate behaviour.
Behavioural analysis is also useful in these processes. AI considers user behaviour to detect deviations from typical patterns. These may include sudden changes in purchasing behaviour, unusual login locations, multiple simultaneous transactions, and more.
Final Thoughts
Essentially, AI systems — such as those used by Amazon — can offer accurate and effective results by leveraging data. Machine learning models are constantly evolving and adapting to changing fraud patterns, with the ability to detect emerging methods as well.
If you are interested in this topic, we suggest you check our articles:
- Reinforcing Cybersecurity with AI
- The Role of AI Bots on Social Media: Innovation or Manipulation?
- How Simple is it to Identify AI Bots on Social Media?
Sources: Amazon, Statista, 247 Commerce
