Amazon Introduces Nova Act AI Agent as Research Preview, Expands Access to Its Frontier AI Models

Amazon introduced an artificial intelligence (AI) agent on Monday that can perform various browser-based tasks. Dubbed the Amazon Nova Act, the AI agent is powered by the tech giant's foundation Nova family of AI models. These are first-party models the company claims will offer “frontier intelligence and industry leading price performance.” Nova Act is currently available as a software development kit (SDK) and, alongside the AI models, is available to users in the US. Notably, the AI agent is currently available as a research preview.

Amazon Introdues A Browser-Based AI Agent

In a newsroom post, the Seattle-based e-commerce giant announced the expansion of the Nova AI models and the release of its AI agent. Amazon's Nova family of AI models were first unveiled in December 2024 in three variants of Micro, Lite, and Pro.

These are the company's native large language models (LLMs) that are claimed to feature advanced intelligence and competitive pricing. Earlier, these were only available on an invite basis to businesses. Developers and AI enthusiasts can explore these models on a dedicated website. Currently, the Amazon Nova models are only available in the US.

The new website also features Amazon's agentic model, dubbed the Nova Act. Aimed at developers, it is available as an SDK and can be used to build agentic capabilities in applications and software. The agent is powered by an early version of a customised Nova model. Notably, the Amazon Nova Act is currently available to users in the US as a research preview.

Amazon says the AI agent can autonomously perform a wide range of tasks on a web browser. These tasks could be filling out a form, shopping online, or booking a reservation in a restaurant. The company did not share the kind of tasks Nova Act can perform. The company defined AI agents as “systems that can complete tasks and act in a range of digital and physical environments on behalf of the user.”

“Nova.amazon.com [makes] it easier than ever to explore the capabilities of Amazon Nova. We've created this experience to inspire builders, so that they can quickly test their ideas with Nova models, and then implement them at scale in Amazon Bedrock,” said Rohit Prasad, SVP of Amazon Artificial General Intelligence.