Exclusive: Bilt’s new AI ‘Neighborhood Concierge’ takes on Amazon and other e-commerce giants

Bilt Rewards, the loyalty and payments platform that now powers rental payments in 25% of U.S. apartment buildings, today launched an AI-powered concierge service that lets members seamlessly interact with the growing network of local merchants and partners that have integrated into its ecosystem. With Bilt Neighborhood Concierge, Bilt’s 5.5 million members will ultimately be able to prompt the app to pay their rent, book amenities, reserve and pay for restaurants or fitness classes, order prescription deliveries, schedule rides, book flights and cash loyalty points without leaving the platform.

Bilt founder and CEO Ankur Jain compares the service to a hotel concierge that connects the home to the neighborhood around it. “Our brand has been the home,” says Jain, who earlier this year partnered with Verifone to integrate Bilt’s technology into its payment terminals, enabling millions of merchants to recognize and reward Bilt members at the point of sale. “We won the home. Now we can turn the home into the hub for everything you do—and buy—around it.”

“Everybody talks about agents and AI, but no one can take actions for you,” says Jain. “Because we’re integrated into your building, the restaurants, the gym, the grocery store, the car service and more, can let customers wake up and say ‘hey, can you pay my rent for me, have eggs delivered to my apartment and make a reservation for dinner?”

Bilt is competing in a battleground of commerce that few have yet to master but many want to own: the home. The behemoth in the smart home market is Amazon, which is on track to displace Walmart as the No. 1 company in the Fortune 500. Earlier this month, Amazon announced that it’s making Alexa available to everyone in the U.S., a revamped version of the voice-activated device that can handle multiple queries and act as an agent........

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