(CNN) For years, Alexa has been synonymous with virtual assistants that can interact with you and perform tasks on your behalf.
Now, Amazon is accelerating the artificial intelligence arms race in the tech industry and trying to keep pace with a new wave of conversational AI tools that are rapidly reshaping what consumers expect from their tech products. there is
Dave Limp, senior vice president of devices and services, said in a recent interview with CNN that Amazon’s goal is to leverage AI to “create this great personal assistant.” “We have been using AI in all its forms for a long time, but the emergence of generative AI will allow us to further accelerate that vision.”
Generative AI refers to a type of AI that can create new content, such as text or images, in response to user prompts. Limp didn’t elaborate on how generative AI could be used in Alexa products, but the possibilities are clear.
In theory, this technology could one day allow Alexa to converse more naturally with users, answer more complex questions, tell stories, and be more creative by composing lyrics in seconds. not. It also enables more personalized interactions, allowing the Assistant to learn the interests and preferences of the device owner and tailor responses to each person.
“We’re not done yet, and we won’t be done until Alexa is as good or better than a Star Trek computer,” Limp said. “And to be able to do that, it has to be conversational. It has to know everything. It has to be the true source of all knowledge.”
Alexa launched nearly a decade ago and, along with Siri, Cortana, and other voice assistants, seemed poised to change the way people interacted with technology. But ChatGPT’s viral success has undoubtedly made it happen faster and across a wider range of everyday products.
It’s a difficult time for Amazon in its efforts to keep updating the technology that powers Alexa. Like other big tech companies, Amazon is currently cutting jobs and shelving products in a rush to cut costs amid widespread economic uncertainty. The Alexa department didn’t go unscathed either.
Amazon confirmed plans to lay off more than 18,000 workers in January as the global economic outlook continues to deteriorate. March, The company said about 9,000 more jobs would be affected. Limp said his department lost about 2,000 people, about half of them from the Alexa team.
Amazon has also shut down some of the products it launched early in the pandemic, such as Halo, a wearable fitness brand that lets users ask Alexa questions about their health and wellness. Limp said the company has also shelved some “higher risk” projects. “I have no doubt that one day I will dust it off and take it home,” he says. “We are still taking a lot of risks in this organization.”
But Limp said Alexa is still the “polar star” for his department. “Intuitively, there are still thousands of people working on Alexa,” he said.
In fact, Amazon is still investing in Alexa and its associated Echo smart speaker lineup.last The company announced several new products this week, including the $39.99 Echo Pop and the $89.99 Echo Show 5, a smart speaker with a screen. While the product includes incremental updates, Limp says Amazon’s current lineup includes: Beyond generative AI, it hints at what might happen in AI efforts.
For example, if Alexa is enabled on the Echo Show and able to roll around the room and track you, “we’ll get a glimpse of what Alexa will look like in the coming months and years.” said Limp.
Amazon Echo Pop lineup
But generative AI remains a key focus for the company. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said in a letter to shareholders in April that the company had “substantially invested” in technology “across the consumer, seller, brand and creator experience.” said he was focusing on
The company is reportedly working on adding ChatGPT-like search Functionality of an e-commerce store. Amazon is also rumored to be planning to use generative AI to bring conversational language to home robots.
Limp didn’t comment on the report, but the end goal has long been for Alexa to communicate with users in a fluid and natural way via Echo devices and other products like the robot dog Astro. said it was to take.
He said the concept remains a “tough technical challenge,” but that generative AI makes it “more manageable.” “There are still some difficult cases and things to work out,” he said.
