Dave Limp, senior vp of units and companies at Amazon.com Inc., speaks through the Amazon Devices and Services occasion on the HQ2 campus in Arlington, Virginia, US, on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023.
Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Amazon launched a “smarter and more conversational” model of its Alexa voice assistant that the corporate hopes will bolster its place within the tech business’s synthetic intelligence race.
The firm hosts an annual units bonanza, the place it usually unveils a smattering of latest {hardware} and software program merchandise. In his last keynote tackle on the occasion on Wednesday, Amazon’s units chief Dave Limp confirmed off a demo of an up to date Alexa that is freshly geared up with options powered by generative AI.
Limp, a 13-year veteran of Amazon, plans to step down from his position later this yr.
From an occasion house at its new second headquarters in northern Virginia, Amazon confirmed a montage during which Alexa customers had been seen asking an Echo good speaker for data such because the “best dates to travel to Puerto Rico.” One man requested that Alexa inform him a narrative about balloons, earlier than abruptly altering his thoughts and asking for a story about Jell-O.
There had been a couple of hiccups throughout Limp’s demo. At instances, Alexa lagged in its response, and at a couple of factors, Limp needed to repeat his query to get a solution.
Amazon calls the brand new function “Let’s chat,” and mentioned it will likely be obtainable as an “early preview” for present Echo homeowners within the coming weeks.
The new Alexa could have a extra humanlike voice and is ready to maintain extra pure conversations with out being prompted by a wake phrase. It will even find out about customers with every new interplay.
Similar to ChatGPT or different generative AI functions, Alexa will be capable of compose messages for customers and ship them on their behalf. As an instance, Amazon confirmed an invite that Alexa wrote to a buddy, asking the particular person to come back over for a soccer recreation.
Rohit Prasad, a senior vp at Amazon and head scientist overseeing generative AI, gave one other sports activities instance.
“The Red Sox are my favorite team,” Prasad mentioned. “Imagine if they won, then Alexa would respond in a joyful voice. If they lost, it will be empathetic to me.”
Amazon previewed methods it is utilizing AI to raised function good properties. With upcoming Alexa updates, customers will be capable of make extra conversational requests, like asking the voice assistant to make their lights “look spooky” or say “Alexa, there’s a mess in here,” prompting a robotic vacuum to change on and suck up crumbs.
Limp employed the phrase “AI hallucinations,” a time period that describes errors made by AI fashions, to elucidate how Alexa would do higher.
“It would be incredibly frustrating if it hallucinated and turned on the wrong light over and over again,” Limp mentioned, including that Amazon’s AI fashions are fine-tuned to have the ability to work with numerous good residence functions, in order that when “you ask it to turn on the living room light, it’s able to execute that correctly.”
Amazon additionally debuted new {hardware}, together with an up to date Echo Show 8 good speaker. The gadget makes use of pc imaginative and prescient to regulate its show based mostly on the place the consumer is standing in a room. If they’re farther away, it should present fewer objects on display screen, however as they transfer nearer, it should present extra detailed data. Amazon mentioned the gadget prices $150 and can ship in October.
It additionally unveiled a $120 Fire TV sound bar that is obtainable beginning Wednesday, and two new Fire TV Sticks that the corporate says are sooner and have upgraded processors.
Amazon confirmed a brand new function coming to the Alexa App and Echo Hubs, referred to as Map View, which is actually a digital flooring plan of a consumer’s residence. The function is designed to make it easier for customers to handle their good residence units. It may additionally present a wealth of beneficial information for Amazon to know how individuals set up their good residence. Amazon says it is opt-in solely, and customers choose which rooms they wish to add to their flooring plan. They’re in a position to delete the information at any time.
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Source: www.cnbc.com”