Amazon’s improved version of Alexa that is slated to be launched this year will be powered by AI startup Anthropic’s Claude AI model according to a Reuters report, which added that this is because Amazon’s in-house AI proved insufficient and struggled with words and responding to prompts.
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What were the issues faced by Amazon when it comes to AI?
The new Alexa version, called “Remarkable Alexa,” has seen numerous issues, since its announcement last September, with former machine learning scientist for Alexa AI Mihail Eric stating on a post on X that the division was “riddled with technical and bureaucratic problems.”
Amazon had invested $4 billion into Anthropic last year for a minority stake, but this led to UK competition regulators to investigate it.
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Amazon’s AI is also facing stiff competition from OpenAI’s Advanced Voice Mode for ChatGPT, Google Gemini’s voice chat mode, and Siri’s upcoming Apple Intelligence update.
“Amazon uses many different technologies to power Alexa,” Reuters quoted Amazon as saying. “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.”
When is the new Alexa expected to be released and what would its new features be?
Remarkable Alexa is reportedly arriving sometime in mid-October, with a plethora of features including daily AI-generated news summaries, a child-focused chatbot, and conversational shopping tools, according to a report by The Washington Post.
It may be placed behind a $5-10 monthly subscription to make it profitable, but the current “Classic Alexa” will continue to be available as a free-to-use service.
The new Alexa’s demo will be presented at Amazon’s annual devices and services event, which is usually held in September.
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