Amazon's algorithm is wrong again, and product search has a bug again...

According to CNBC, recently, due to an error in Amazon's algorithm, there have been problems with product searches on the platform.

It is understood that when consumers searched for drugs to treat Covid-19 on Amazon , an antiparasitic drug called ivermectin appeared , which is usually used to treat or prevent parasites in animals. In recent weeks, it has been misled by Amazon's erroneous algorithm as the latest treatment for Covid-19, and the US Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have issued warnings about this.

When consumers search for "iv" on Amazon , a series of recommended products appear, all of which are ivermectin, including "ivermectin pills", "ivermectin paste" and "ivermectin injection", which shows that there are already a large number of consumers searching for "ivermectin" and Amazon's erroneous algorithm causes the product to be placed at the top of the recommended search results.

Errors in Amazon’s algorithm system will have a direct impact on search results, which will not only affect consumers’ judgment, but will also greatly affect the sellers’ order volume.

Regarding the search result error, Amazon official spokesman Craig Andrews said in a statement: "Amazon's autocomplete effect is driven by customers, and we are blocking certain autocomplete responses to address these issues."

Amazon then posted a notice about "ivermectin" stating that the FDA recommends not using ivermectin to treat or prevent Covid-19. In addition, it also directed users to visit the FDA website for more information.

In fact, this is not the first time that Amazon has had algorithmic errors. Amazon has previously faced scrutiny for selling products with misleading COVID-19 claims on its e-commerce platform. Researchers at the University of Washington in the United States found through an investigation that more than 10% of products in Amazon's search results have health misleading effects.

Similarly, Amazon has been working to remove various misleading questions caused by algorithmic errors. In February last year, as the number of suspected new coronavirus treatment products continued to increase, Amazon issued a notice to direct users who searched for "coronavirus," "Covid-19," "n95 masks" and other related terms to the CDC for more information on preventing and treating the disease.

Although it is not too late to mend the situation, some buyers still make shopping mistakes due to Amazon's wrong algorithm, and some really useful products are "hidden" because of Amazon's wrong algorithm. Behind the helplessness of both buyers and sellers, Amazon should change its own algorithm system.

Amazon

algorithm

mistake