Amazon’s Bezos promotes AI-centered redesign of Prime Video

Jeff Bezos has identified a new hot platform that could help introduce hundreds of billions of dollars Amazon Betting on artificial intelligence: Prime Video.

Amazon’s founder and executive chairman has asked Prime Video chief Mike Hopkins to overhaul the streaming service to bring AI to the fore, according to four people with direct knowledge of the matter.

The project, known internally as “Lighthouse,” will shine a light on Amazon’s AI capabilities for the more than 200 million consumers who use Prime Video.

Lighthouse is seen as an important part of Amazon’s company-wide effort to improve its position in the artificial intelligence field as competitors such as OpenAI and Anthropic make strides, the people said. Other AI efforts, including a multiyear overhaul of the Alexa voice assistant to provide more conversational responses, have had mixed results, and the division continues to lose money, people familiar with the matter previously told Reuters.

Amazon declined to comment.

Prime Video’s initiative stems from a contentious internal presentation to Bezos by streaming service executives last fall, these people said.

Mr. Bezos was unhappy that Mr. Hopkins’ plan to update Prime Video did not adequately emphasize the service’s AI and personalization features, the people said. Bezos’ reaction prompted Prime Video executives to scrap previous plans and move forward with Lighthouse.

The company is spending about $200 billion in capital spending this year, primarily related to AI development, with ChatGPT makers OpenAI and Anthropic spending an initial $23 billion and potentially more than $40 billion more.

Lighthouse includes a range of new features that use AI to improve movie and TV recommendations, including learning consumer preferences and responding to verbal requests, according to people familiar with the project who asked not to be named. Other people involved said Prime Video is working on a redesign of its main homepage as part of the project.

A final redesign has not yet been decided, but one of the options Prime Video executives discussed includes AI-driven tiles pre-populated with viewing suggestions such as “1980s action movies” and “Christmas romantic comedies,” three people said. Another source said the current version does not include text-heavy tiles.

The traditional search functionality will remain, as will space at the top of the screen for video highlights promoting new releases and sporting events, such as Thursday Night Football, a weekly National Football League game exclusively available on Amazon.

Amazon is already testing a redesigned version with some users, one of the people said. Prime Video’s plans could change based on feedback from early testers or financial or other concerns, the people said.

Michael Goodman, director of entertainment research at Parks Associates, said Prime Video, like other streaming services, relies not only on software algorithms that decide where content appears on the home screen, but also on paid placement by studios. Any changes to this, including increased personalization, could upend the system, he said.

“Home screen space is extremely valuable to studios, so taking away that coveted space would be a big change,” Goodman said.

Mr. Bezos has been personally involved in the review of Prime Video, including receiving occasional updates, the people said, highlighting the risks for companies grappling with a reputation for substandard AI-based models. Improved personalization can increase time spent with the service.

His involvement in the Prime Video project is unusual, as he has stepped back from much of the day-to-day work at Amazon since stepping down as CEO in 2021. He also owns the Washington Post and is the founder of spaceflight company Blue Origin and AI startup Prometheus, which is reportedly valued at about $41 billion. He started paying more attention to those projects.

Prime Video is one of Amazon’s most recognizable brands and is available to consumers in many markets where Amazon has limited or no e-commerce presence. Besides free shipping, Prime Video is the most popular service with a Prime subscription.

Amazon is also considering integrating the Alexa voice assistant into Prime Video’s search functionality as part of the Lighthouse project, according to people familiar with the matter. Amazon released a completely overhauled generative AI version of Alexa in early 2025 and integrated it into its main shopping site in May 2026.

Kam Keshmiri, Prime Video’s global head of design, also attended the meeting with Bezos and is currently leading the Lighthouse redesign, the people said.

Prime Video is the fourth most-watched streaming service in the U.S., and Mr. Bezos, who frequently attends high-profile Hollywood events and owns a $165 million home in Beverly Hills, speaks highly of it.

Amazon became the first streaming service to win an Academy Award in a major category. The company further deepened its commitment to entertainment by paying $8.5 billion to acquire MGM in 2022, giving it access to a number of well-known entertainment franchises, including James Bond.

Prime Video’s share of TV viewing in the US is 4.2%, lower than YouTube’s 13.4%. Netflix At 7.8%, walt disney’s Disney+ is at 5%, according to Nielsen data for April. Still, many Prime Video members spend hours a week watching content on the platform, and the company hopes to further hone its personalization capabilities through AI.

The service released a major redesign in July 2024 aimed at making it easier for users to distinguish between free content and content that costs extra, such as TV shows and movies that require a Paramount+ subscription or rental fee.

Amazon wants Prime Video to become the central hub for users’ paid subscriptions.