Flipkart launches SLAP, its conversational AI shopping assistant to compete with Amazon Rufus

Flipkart SLAP Takes Center Stage in E-Commerce AI Race

Flipkart will launch its conversational AI shopping assistant, Shop Like a Pro (SLAP), next week as a standalone application, marking a significant step in the company's AI-driven commerce strategy 1

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. The new AI shopping assistant replaces Flippi, the generative AI tool Flipkart first announced in 2023, and signals the e-commerce giant's intent to compete directly with similar offerings from Amazon and Walmart 2

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. A dedicated team has been formed to develop SLAP, with plans to roll it out in phases as the company tests how conversational AI can reshape online shopping behavior.

Enhanced Shopping Experiences Through AI-Powered Recommendations

SLAP will function as a conversational AI commerce tool that uses advanced AI models to assist customers throughout their shopping journey. The assistant will initially provide personalized recommendations, offer product suggestions based on user needs, and answer customer queries 1

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. This positions Flipkart SLAP alongside Walmart's Sparky and Amazon Rufus, which have already demonstrated the commercial potential of AI-driven shopping tools. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy revealed during an earnings call in November that Rufus is expected to generate $10 billion in additional annualized sales, with approximately 250 million people projected to use the assistant in 2025 1

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. These figures underscore the financial stakes in the execution-layer race unfolding across e-commerce platforms.

The Execution-Layer Race in Conversational AI Commerce

The launch comes as Google introduced its Universal Commerce Protocol earlier this week, allowing AI agents to interact directly with e-commerce sites and complete entire transactions from selection to checkout . Google is partnering with Shopify, Etsy, Target, and Walmart for this initiative, signaling a broader industry shift toward AI systems that actively shape purchasing decisions rather than merely providing information. MediaNama founder Nikhil Pahwa characterizes this development as an "execution-layer race" rather than a competition between AI models, noting that real competitive advantage comes from how companies deploy AI across workflows such as commerce, advertising, and customer support 2

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Trust and Liability Questions Loom Over AI-Driven Commerce

While Flipkart has not disclosed how SLAP will impact sales, user engagement, or conversion rates, the assistant raises critical questions about trust and liability in AI-driven commerce 2

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. As AI systems move from answering queries to influencing or completing transactions, the cost of failure increases sharply. Pahwa warns that AI-driven buying can intensify information asymmetry, as machines optimize for conversion rather than negotiation, fundamentally changing how prices and recommendations are shaped. The company has not disclosed how SLAP will handle safeguards, decision boundaries, or error mitigation—issues that become critical in low-trust markets 2

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. During a MediaNama roundtable on governing AI agents, participants cited a 2017 incident where Amazon Alexa triggered unintended purchases after responding to a television broadcast, highlighting the real-world risks of autonomous shopping systems 2

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. As e-commerce platforms experiment with conversational AI and agent-like assistants, the balance between enhanced shopping experiences and consumer protection will determine whether these tools deliver lasting value or create new vulnerabilities in online commerce.