eBay buyers will see more AI-generated product listings

eBay will give sellers the option to create entire product listings using a generative AI tool, the company announced Thursday. eBay believes that AI-powered product listings will speed up the selling process, especially for new merchants who may be overwhelmed by all the details they need to provide.

The new tool uses images uploaded by sellers to fill in details such as product title, description, item category and other important information a buyer may want to know. Right now, it’s only available in the iOS app and accordingly TechCrunchIt will be available on Android in the coming weeks.

As one who spends a lot Given my time on eBay, I’ll be the first to say that the platform is like the Wild West when it comes to shopping. Product listings often contain typos or lack of information, and descriptions can be three words or three paragraphs, depending on the seller. AI-generated listings can make information about items more consistent or robust — but then again, sellers respond to questions, at least in my experience.

The image-based generation tool isn’t the company’s first foray into generative AI. The company recently began offering a pared-down version of a new tool that created product descriptions based on other details input by the seller. therefore TechCrunch Indicated, vendors have complained about the quality of the text being generated.

I have to admit that I have played with the earlier version of the tool myself. When I experimented with it, the result was stilted, clichéd language that added more words but nothing very useful. My initial description included the vintage clothing item’s condition and misleading size tag, but the AI ​​tool removed the information that a potential buyer would want to know. In the end, the AI ​​description tool didn’t save me time — and if left unedited, I expect complaints from anyone who buys my item.