Amazon's voice assistant, Alexa, is set to receive a much-needed next-generation upgrade. After its launch in 2014, Alexa has become a household name and is now the default voice assistant in many first- and third-party devices. Previously, it was reported that Amazon was facing issues on its road to infusing AI powers into Alexa. The company found it particularly difficult to combine the basic algorithms with the advanced and unpredictable large language models (LLMs) for Alexa.
However, it seems Amazon has ironed out those issues and is ready to introduce a much smarter, AI-powered next-gen Alexa at a special event on February 26. This would mark the most significant upgrade to the voice assistant in a decade. The new Alexa will reportedly use generative AI to offer more natural conversations and handle multiple requests at once—a feature not available in the current version of Alexa, which handles one question at a time.
With this big upgrade, Amazon wants Alexa to be more than just a voice assistant that can set a timer, play music, or give a weather forecast. The new AI-powered Alexa is designed to remember user preferences like favorite food, favorite music genre, and more to offer better music and restaurant recommendations. The upgraded AI Alexa will be able to handle multiple requests simultaneously in one go. It is also designed to act on your behalf and have the brains to book reservations or book tickets without requiring step-by-step instructions.
The stakes are pretty high for Amazon since there are over a billion Alexa-powered devices worldwide that the company is hoping will benefit from this upgrade. However, they also need to ensure that the upgrade doesn't break or brick existing Alexa devices. The new AI Alexa is planned to initially be available for a limited number of users for free. There is also a talk of a $5-$10 monthly subscription fee. Amazon will continue to offer the current version, "Classic Alexa," for free.
Source: Reuters | Image via Depositphotos.com
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