While there’s been much talk surrounding Amazon’s generative AI-powered overhaul of its voice assistant, Alexa, and its expected subscription fees, we’ve heard little from the e-commerce giant about a launch date. This week, reports indicated the subscription-based update is expected to launch in October but won’t be powered by Amazon’s proprietary artificial intelligence (AI) models.
Also: Why Claude’s Artifacts is the coolest feature I’ve seen in generative AI so far
The new and improved Alexa with generative AI should launch in just over a month and is reportedly powered by Anthropic’s Claude AI models. Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that Amazon’s in-house software struggled to become the ‘remarkable’ generative AI virtual assistant the company expected, taking too long to respond to prompts and failing to meet expectations.
The October launch date for the revamped Alexa is delayed from what was expected earlier this year when reports indicated it would launch in September. It will be a paid alternative voice assistant to the “classic Alexa,” which is how Amazon refers to the currently available free version in internal documents obtained by the Washington Post. Several reports indicate that a subscription to the new virtual assistant, dubbed “Remarkable Alexa,” could cost between $5 and $10 monthly.
Alexa is Amazon’s voice assistant, available on Echo devices. It uses AI to understand commands and respond accordingly, setting timers, answering questions, and controlling smart home devices. By giving Alexa gen AI features, Amazon would give its popular AI assistant the capacity to generate content instead of repeating answers from its trained commands. Instead of searching for a recipe, for example, Alexa could create one customized to dietary restrictions or use the ingredients in your pantry.
Also: How to use Claude (and how it’s different from ChatGPT)
It could also create text, like stories, emails, poems, songs, etc. Kids could ask Alexa to create a story describing their family dog to hear a new bedtime story featuring Fido as the main character. This feature would be remarkable if your kids, like mine, have already exhausted Alexa’s story catalog.
Along with gen AI capabilities, the new Alexa could hold more natural conversations with you, answer follow-up questions, and use a more human-like voice. In the report obtained by the WP, Amazon says, “AI features that help customers curate, summarize, and explore current events was also rated as one of the top customer requests.”
Amazon announced that Alexa would receive gen AI capabilities in September 2023 at the company’s Devices and Services event, during which it demoed the new voice assistant’s features. The announcement came after a year of explosive growth in AI technologies, marked by the release of ChatGPT in late 2022.
Also: 5 ways Amazon can make an AI-powered Alexa subscription worth the cost
Since OpenAI’s chatbot became widely available, Microsoft and Google released their own AI chatbots, Copilot and Gemini. Pressure mounted to improve existing virtual assistants, like Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant, which perform deplorably compared to an AI tool like ChatGPT.
Anthropic, a company in which Amazon owns a minority stake, also released its own gen AI chatbot, named Claude. Claude has received several iterative upgrades to compete with ChatGPT, though it hasn’t gained as much popularity as OpenAI’s bot. Anthropic also features its AI models in Amazon Bedrock, a service that provides developers and businesses with foundational models upon which to build.
Also: ChatGPT vs. Microsoft Copilot vs. Gemini: Which is the best AI chatbot?
“When it comes to machine learning models, we start with those built by Amazon, but we have used, and will continue to use, a variety of different models – including (Amazon AI model) Titan and future Amazon models, as well as those from partners – to build the best experience for customers,” an Amazon spokesperson responded to Reuters’ requests for comments.
Apple announced the release of Apple Intelligence in June, which is its own endeavor into generative AI. A slew of gen AI features are coming to new iPhones, iPads, and Macs, including a revamped Siri complete with a ChatGPT integration. This service is planned to become widely available in 2025. Google is also slowly upgrading the Google Assistant, which is being rebranded as Gemini, with AI, though this also isn’t yet widely available.
While it’s easy to use the ChatGPT voice feature on my iPhone, it’s limited to an app, so I understand the need for an AI-powered virtual assistant. ChatGPT can’t control your phone, send messages, call someone, or create shortcuts with different apps, which assistants like Siri and Google can. Unlike Alexa, ChatGPT can’t control your smart home, turn off your lights at night, or run automation to turn on a device when a light is on.
Source: Robotics - zdnet.com
