Amazon founder and executive chairman Jeff Bezos is reportedly pushing the company to give Prime Video a major AI-driven redesign, aiming to turn the streaming platform into visible proof that Amazon’s massive AI spending is paying off. The company has poured roughly $200 billion into AI infrastructure this year alone, along with a $25 billion investment in Anthropic, and Bezos wants that investment reflected in a product used by more than 200 million viewers.
Internal Project Dubbed “Lighthouse”
According to a Reuters report, Bezos directed Prime Video head Mike Hopkins to rework the app after a contentious internal meeting last fall where Bezos reportedly rejected Hopkins’ initial proposals as insufficiently AI-focused. Employees have internally named the initiative “Lighthouse,” reflecting its goal of showcasing Amazon’s AI ambitions. Bezos reportedly wants AI-driven personalization placed at the center of the user experience rather than tucked into secondary menus.
A Shift Away From Studio-Driven Placement
Currently, Prime Video’s home screen balances paid studio placements with algorithm-based recommendations. Shifting toward a more personalized, AI-curated feed could reduce the visibility studios currently receive, an industry analyst told Reuters, noting that home-screen placement holds significant value for content partners. Under the new plan, the familiar grid of tiles would give way to a real-time, dynamically curated feed. Amazon is also reportedly developing AI-generated thumbnails, natural-language browsing prompts for requests like decade-specific genre searches, and deeper integration with Alexa’s voice capabilities.
The standard search bar would remain unchanged, and promotional space for new releases and live sports would still appear near the top of the screen. Amazon has already begun testing the redesign with a limited group of users and may adjust its approach based on their feedback before a wider rollout.