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Amazon launches AI-amped version of its Alexa voice assistant

Economic Times

Economic Times · 6m ago

Amazon launches AI-amped version of its Alexa voice assistant

Amazon has unveiled a new version of its Alexa voice assistant, enhanced with generative artificial intelligence, bringing more human-like qualities to the device. Named Alexa Plus, the AI-driven assistant aims to be more than just a helper but rather a digital best friend. This innovation was presented at a launch event in New York, signaling Amazon's commitment to advancing AI capabilities within their consumer technology products.

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Related News

Amazon wants you to start paying for Alexa

Gizmodo

Gizmodo · 1y ago

Amazon wants you to start paying for Alexa

Amazon is reportedly planning to charge users for a new version of its voice assistant Alexa, called "Alexa Plus." However, the service is said to be plagued by hallucinating AI and broken technology, which has caused internal tensions at Amazon. The new Alexa is struggling to provide accurate and helpful responses, making it difficult to meet the launch date of June 30. There are doubts about customers being willing to pay for another service on top of their existing Amazon subscriptions. If the plan fails, it could spell trouble for the future of Alexa.

Amazon's Alexa to offer AI features for ₹418 monthly: What it means for users

Livemint

Livemint · 1y ago

Amazon's Alexa to offer AI features for ₹418 monthly: What it means for users

Amazon is reportedly preparing a major update to its Alexa voice assistant service. The new version, internally known as "Banyan," aims to integrate a conversational generative AI and could offer two service tiers, including a superior version for a monthly fee of $5. This represents the first significant update to Alexa since its launch in 2014. The new version, called "Remarkable Alexa," is expected to enhance the assistant's capabilities. Amazon's CEO, Andy Jassy, is reportedly invested in the success of the project, and the company is aiming for an August deadline.

Amazon plans to charge for Alexa in June—unless internal conflict delays revamp

Medial

Medial · 1y ago

Amazon plans to charge for Alexa in June—unless internal conflict delays revamp

According to a report, Amazon's upcoming subscription version of Alexa needs to drive revenue in ways that its voice assistant has never done before. However, there are concerns about whether people will be willing to pay for a subscription to use Alexa, especially if they already pay for other Amazon services. The release of the subscription plan, called "Alexa Plus," could be delayed due to development challenges, including the need to improve the accuracy of the AI-powered assistant's responses.

Amazon Upgrades Alexa for the ChatGPT Era

Wired · 1y ago

Amazon Upgrades Alexa for the ChatGPT Era

Amazon is upgrading its voice assistant Alexa to engage in more lifelike conversations, thanks to the technology behind OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The new Alexa will answer complex questions and have flowing, open-ended dialogue, removing the need to say "Alexa" for every command. It will exhibit simulated personality, modulate its voice, and detect when a conversation should continue or end. However, challenges remain, as large language models can generate false information or inappropriate responses. Amazon plans to continue adding new features and eventually allow Alexa to control non-Amazon devices.

Amazon fell behind in AI. An Alexa creator is leading its push to catch up.

Livemint

Livemint · 11m ago

Amazon fell behind in AI. An Alexa creator is leading its push to catch up.

Rohit Prasad, the chief architect of Amazon's Alexa, is leading the company's effort to catch up in the AI race after being surprised by competitors' AI capabilities. Amazon has put thousands of people in a new team to upgrade its Alexa voice assistant and develop AI products. However, insiders and industry analysts suggest that Amazon's proprietary AI models still lag behind those of its competitors. Amazon remains confident in its long-term AI strategy and expects rising demand for its cloud business due to the computing resources required for AI.

Alexa will stop working on some popular devices from September 29

Livemint

Livemint · 1y ago

Alexa will stop working on some popular devices from September 29

Amazon's voice assistant, Alexa, will no longer function on Google Nest Kit after September 29. Google has announced the discontinuation of its support for legacy Nest skills for Alexa. Users will need to switch to the Google Nest Skill for Alexa to continue using the voice assistant on their smart Nest devices. To ensure uninterrupted control of Nest devices through Alexa, users are advised to disable the old Nest Alexa skill, remove Nest devices manually from the Alexa app, and enable the new Google Nest Alexa skill from the Google Home app.

Amazon pours another $4B into Anthropic, OpenAI’s biggest rival

Arstechnica

Arstechnica · 8m ago

Amazon pours another $4B into Anthropic, OpenAI’s biggest rival

Amazon has increased its investment in AI startup Anthropic by $4 billion, making its total stake $8 billion. This investment enables Anthropic to use Amazon's custom-built Trainium and Inferentia chips for training and deploying its foundation models. Anthropic has also been assisting Amazon in developing a new version of its Alexa AI assistant based on Anthropic's Claude AI language model. The UK Competition and Markets Authority cleared the partnership between Amazon and Anthropic, allowing it to continue. This investment reflects the intense competition between cloud providers Amazon, Microsoft, and Google in the AI market.

Alexa is in millions of households—and Amazon is losing billions

Livemint

Livemint · 1y ago

Alexa is in millions of households—and Amazon is losing billions

Amazon's Echo speakers, which feature the Alexa voice assistant, have become a popular product among customers but have also caused huge financial losses for the company. Amazon has lost tens of billions of dollars on its devices business, including Echos and Kindles. The idea that customers would spend significant amounts of money buying goods through Alexa on these underpriced speakers didn't gain traction. As CEO Andy Jassy tries to turn the situation around, Amazon plans to launch a paid tier for Alexa, but some engineers working on the project are skeptical about its success.

Amazon tests 'Alexa Plus' with 15,000 users, potential paid subscription

Livemint

Livemint · 1y ago

Amazon tests 'Alexa Plus' with 15,000 users, potential paid subscription

Amazon is reportedly planning to launch a subscription service called Alexa Plus, aiming to enhance its AI-powered voice assistant. Users may need to pay for this premium service, which promises a more personalized experience. The anticipated launch date is June 30, but there are concerns about the readiness of the technology. The upgraded Alexa, known as Remarkable Alexa, is being tested with external customers but has faced criticism for struggles with accuracy and complex commands. The shift to a single Large Language Model (LLM) has raised debates among employees about the willingness of users to pay for the upgraded experience.

Amazon is Building Olympus, to Compete with ChatGPT

Startup News FYI

Startup News FYI · 1y ago

Amazon is Building Olympus, to Compete with ChatGPT

Amazon is set to launch "Olympus," a generative AI chatbot, to compete with industry leaders like OpenAI and Microsoft. It is expected to improve upon its predecessor, "Titan," and offer enhanced features across multiple Amazon platforms, including the online retail store and Alexa voice assistant. The release date of Olympus is uncertain, but it is anticipated to outperform ChatGPT, a product by OpenAI. Rohit Prasad, Amazon's Head Scientist for Artificial General Intelligence, is overseeing the development of Olympus.

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