Jeff Bezos drives AI-first Prime Video makeover to sharpen Amazon’s streaming edge

CALIFORNIA: Amazon wants viewers to stop scrolling and start streaming smarter. Jeff Bezos is personally leading a major artificial intelligence overhaul of Prime Video, betting that smarter recommendations and a redesigned interface will strengthen Amazon’s position in the AI race and deepen engagement with more than 200 million users worldwide.

According to a Reuters report, the project, codenamed Lighthouse, was launched after Bezos expressed dissatisfaction with an internal presentation last year, arguing that proposed updates to Prime Video did not do enough to showcase Amazon’s AI capabilities.

The feedback prompted Prime Video executives to abandon their original plans and begin work on an AI-first redesign that places personalisation at the heart of the streaming experience.

The overhaul is being led by Kam Keshmiri, while Mike Hopkins has overseen the broader streaming strategy.

Lighthouse is expected to introduce a range of AI-powered features designed to better understand users’ viewing habits, improve recommendations and respond to spoken requests. The company is also redesigning Prime Video’s home screen to make AI-driven discovery more prominent.

One concept under consideration includes dynamic recommendation tiles with curated themes such as “action movies from the 1980s” or “Christmas rom-coms”. The traditional search bar and promotional banners for new releases and live sporting events, including Thursday Night Football, are expected to remain.

Amazon has already begun testing early versions of the redesign with a limited number of users. The final interface could still evolve based on customer feedback and commercial considerations.

The initiative forms part of Amazon’s wider effort to improve its standing in artificial intelligence as rivals such as OpenAI and Anthropic continue to gain momentum. Amazon has committed around $200 billion in capital expenditure this year, largely to expand its AI infrastructure, and has invested an initial $23 billion across OpenAI and Anthropic, with the potential to invest up to another $40 billion.

The company is also exploring deeper integration between its AI-powered Alexa assistant and Prime Video’s search function. Amazon introduced a generative AI version of Alexa in early 2025 before expanding it to its main shopping platform in May 2026.

Bezos’ direct involvement is notable because he has largely stepped back from Amazon’s day-to-day operations since handing over the chief executive role in 2021. His continued focus on Prime Video highlights the platform’s strategic importance as one of Amazon’s most recognisable consumer brands and a key benefit of its Prime subscription.

Prime Video currently ranks as the fourth most-watched streaming platform in the US, with a 4.2 per cent share of television viewing, according to Nielsen data for April. It trails Netflix at 7.8 per cent, The Walt Disney Company’s Disney+ at 5 per cent, and YouTube, which leads with 13.4 per cent.

Having already strengthened its entertainment ambitions through the $8.5 billion acquisition of MGM in 2022, Amazon is now looking to make AI the next headline act in Prime Video’s evolution.