Image : Jim Martin Foundry
Alexa from Amazon is starting to look quaint if not outdated in a world of ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude, who are all chasing the holy grail AGI (Artificial General Intelligence).
The world was taken aback in September 2023, when Amazon demonstrated a revamped AI-powered Alexa. It was backed by the latest large language model (LLM), and it could perform a wide range of new tricks, including a vastly improved conversation style.
We’re now more than a month into the year and still there is no sign of the new AI powered Alexa on our Amazon Echo speaker. What’s going on?
What we know and don’t about the “remarkable new AI Alexa”including what it can do, what devices it works on, and when it is coming.
What is the new AI-powered Alexa like?
While Alexa, as we know her, has used machine learning and AI for years to chat with us and perform tasks in our smart homes, the revamped Alexa is going to land with a brand new generation of LLMs, allowing it to have the same (or similar) conversation skills that are employed by OpenAI ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Anthropic Claude.
Amazon originally said that the new Alexa would be powered by a custom-built in-house LLM named “Titan.” However, there are indications that they may have changed their minds, reportedly switching to Anthropic’s Claude (at least partially) after investing billions into that company.
Amazon, for its part, maintains that “a variety of models” has been used to build the best customer experience. This includes Titan and future Amazon models as well as those provided by partners.
What features can we look forward to from the new Alexa?
In Amazon’s demo of September 2023, the then-outgoing Amazon Hardware Lead David Lamb (who was replaced by ex Microsoft exec Panos Panay), led the new Alexa through a conversation in which she kept up her end while adding an emotive lilt that was largely absent in the “old” Alexa. Amazon claims that this “remarkable Alexa” (as she’s called within Amazon) can even detect non-verbal emotions with the help of cameras and other sensors on Echo devices.
The AI-powered Alexa promises more than a chatbot. Amazon boasts that it can control smart-home appliances, create smart routines and remember your previous conversations. It can also compose notes for friends and family.
There have also been rumors about other possible Alexa features, such as “AI-generated summaries” of news articles, recipe-finding functionality and an AI chatbot designed for children.
What happened to the old Alexa?
While he was sketching out the possibility of charging for the new Alexa’s, Amazon’s David Lamb assured that the “classic” Alexa – the Alexa that we use today – would “always” be free.
This would lead to a “classic” and “pro” tier of Alexa services: a paid subscription for the “pro” tier and a free one for “classic”. This is a first, but not a new thing.
When will the new AI-powered Alexa be available?
When Amazon executives announced the “remarkable Alexa” in September 2023 they said that we would be able to test the new Alexa during a preview scheduled for “early next” year.
But “next” year has passed and there is no sign of a revamped AI-powered Alexa any time soon. Bloomberg reports that the new launch date for the “remarkable Alexa” is 2025. This is a reasonable prediction, given that 2024 has now passed.
Why the delay?
Delay? What delay? Amazon is currently stating that they have “already integrated[generative AI]into different components of Alexa”and that they are “excited” about what they’re building. But insiders tell a different tale, with reports describing an “exceptional” Alexa who was “deflecting” answers and “often gave unnecessarily lengthy or inaccurate responses,” which is a problem that even the largest, most popular LLMs suffer from.
Even worse, however, are the claims claiming that the new Alexa doesn’t control smart home devices as well as the “classic Alexa”.
It’s no secret that getting AI models that are hallucination-prone and generative to reliably control smart devices is a difficult task. Apple and Google have taken great care in this regard. Google, on the other hand, has only recently given Gemini limited control of smart home devices. Apple Intelligence, meanwhile, has not yet ventured into Apple Home.
What is at stake for Amazon when it comes to the AI-powered Alexa system?
Well, a lot. Some reports have labelled 2024 as the “make-or break” year for Alexa. A paid Alexa is seen as the best option to push the troubled Amazon division towards profitability.
As 2024 is quickly approaching, 2025 seems to be the next “make-or break” period. It’s almost certain that Amazon, given the billions it has already invested in the voice assistant, will see the “remarkable Alexa experiment” through.
Can Amazon convince Alexa users, who are used to paying nothing for Alexa access, to pay for a new AI-powered version of the voice assistant? Next year, we’ll likely get an answer.
Ben Patterson, Senior Editor, TechHive.
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Ben is a technology and consumer electronics writer who has been in the business for over 20 years. Ben Patterson, a PCWorld contributor since 2014. He joined TechHive in 2019. Ben has covered everything from smart lights and soundbars to security cameras and smart speakers. Ben’s articles also appeared in PC Magazine and other publications such as TIME, Wired CNET, Men’s Fitness Mobile Magazine, Men’s Fitness Magazine, etc. Ben has a master’s in English literature.