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Speaking at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Vishal Sharma, Amazon's VP of Artificial Intelligence General Purpose Technologies, said that artificial intelligence (AI) has permeated every area of Amazon's business, with almost no part escaping its influence. He stated that Amazon is deploying AI through its own foundational models in multiple applications, including its cloud computing service AWS, warehouse robotics, and consumer product Alexa. Image caption: Image generated by AI, Image licensing provider Mi

At Amazon's annual devices and services event, the company officially launched its enhanced voice assistant, Alexa+. This new version not only improves voice interaction but also incorporates generative AI technology, making user interactions with Alexa more intelligent and convenient. Amazon demonstrated the ability to share documents with Alexa+, allowing it to extract key information and answer questions about those documents. Mara Segal, Alexa's project lead, showcased several real-world applications.

Amazon is fully advancing the upgrade of its voice assistant Alexa, planning to replace its 'brain' with more advanced generative artificial intelligence technology. However, this significant technological transformation is facing a series of delays and challenges, putting Amazon in a tense position in the competition. Note: Image from official screenshot. It is reported that Amazon has been actively developing new AI features to enhance Alexa's voice recognition and response capabilities. This upgrade aims to enable Alexa to interact more naturally with users, providing a better experience.

Recently, reports have emerged that Amazon's plans to revamp its smart voice assistant, Alexa, have been delayed yet again, with the new launch date pushed to 2025. According to Bloomberg, insiders familiar with the matter stated that Alexa's AI team was informed that the new version, originally set to launch this year, has now been forced to delay. As early as September last year, Amazon announced plans for a major overhaul of Alexa, which will be equipped with intelligence similar to ChatGPT, enabling it to provide more natural and engaging interactions.

According to Bloomberg, Amazon's voice assistant Alexa was originally scheduled for a major AI overhaul by the end of this year, but it now appears to be delayed until 2025. The upgrade is intended to make Alexa smarter and more powerful, with improved conversational abilities and the capability to handle new tasks. The report also details issues encountered during testing the AI-enhanced version of Alexa. For instance, beta users reported that the AI sometimes provided lengthy, convoluted answers that were not entirely relevant to the original query.

In a recent third quarter earnings call, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy revealed that the company is making significant improvements to its smart assistant Alexa. He stated that the future Alexa will be a more 'intelligent' assistant that not only answers questions and summarizes information but can also take action on behalf of users. Jassy pointed out that the next generation of smart assistants and generative AI applications will possess stronger capabilities to perform various tasks, rather than just providing information.

Amazon has announced the launch of an improved version of its voice assistant, named 'Remarkable Alexa', which is primarily based on Anthropic's Claude AI model. This move aims to enhance Alexa's performance and address accuracy issues in understanding user commands and needs. The new assistant will introduce several practical features, such as daily AI-generated news summaries, a child-specific chatbot, and conversational shopping tools. Expected to be released in mid-October, it will operate on a subscription model with a monthly fee of approximately $5 to $10.

Amazon plans to launch a new paid version of Alexa called 'Remarkable Alexa' or 'Project Banyan' in October, aimed at competing with companies like OpenAI and Google through more advanced AI features. This upgraded voice assistant will have smarter conversational and interaction capabilities, able to recognize different voices, proactively ask users for preferences, and provide personalized assistance. One key feature is 'Smart Briefings', which offers users customized daily news summaries, although it has raised concerns about

Amazon is set to launch a fully revamped version of its Alexa personal voice assistant in October, introducing features such as the AI-generated news summary called 'Smart Briefing', which will require a subscription to access. The new Alexa aims to enhance daily engagement, particularly regarding the accuracy of political news and information security. The AI-generated news summary feature has become a focal point of user demand, with subscription costs expected to reach up to $10 per month. Additionally, Amazon plans to expand Alexa's presence in e-commerce and children's entertainment through 'Project Banyan'.

Recently, Amazon announced a technology licensing agreement with AI startup Adept, with the co-founders and some team members joining the e-commerce giant. Adept focuses on developing AI 'agents' capable of performing various software tasks, and its technology will support Amazon's expansion in the generative AI space.