New tool enables multi-step web tasks with AI
Amazon on Monday unveiled Nova Act, an AI model that allows software to perform complex tasks in web browsers on users’ behalf. The launch pits Amazon more directly against OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google, all of which are racing to develop advanced AI agents capable of automating digital tasks.
Nova Act is designed for developers looking to build agents that can autonomously complete multi-step operations. One demo showed Nova Act searching for “apartments by biking distance to the train station,” demonstrating its capability to handle nuanced queries.
Rising competition in the AI agent space
Amazon joins a growing list of tech companies pushing into AI agent technology. Anthropic, the Amazon-backed startup, introduced its Computer Use tool in October, which can interpret on-screen content, fill out forms, and navigate the web. In January, OpenAI launched Operator for web-based tasks like booking restaurants and planning travel, followed in February by Deep Research, which compiles complex reports for users.
Google rolled out a similarly named tool, Deep Research, in December to act as a virtual research assistant capable of deep topic exploration.
Part of Amazon’s broader AI strategy
The Nova Act release aligns with Amazon’s broader investment in generative AI. In addition to its Nova model series, the company has developed Trainium chips, integrated AI into Alexa, and introduced AI-powered shopping and health assistants. Amazon’s Bedrock platform also offers access to third-party AI models.
Earlier this month, Amazon created a dedicated group for developing agentic AI, led by AWS veteran Swami Sivasubramanian. The tech giant is also working on artificial general intelligence (AGI) through a team that reports directly to CEO Andy Jassy.
