Announcement was made amid ongoing crisis at Amazon as it recently laid off employees to cut costs
Following ChatGPT's viral success, Jeff Bezos' company has announced plans to introduce an updated version of Alexa — Amazon's virtual assistant — utilising generative AI, CNN reported.
“We’ve been using all forms of AI for a long time, but now that we see this emergence of generative AI, we can accelerate that vision even faster,” said Dave Limp, senior VP of devices and services.
Generative AI is the kind of AI that is designed to create new content, images, and text upon users' request.
Although he did not explain how the technology can improve
Alexa, Limp shared that there are "clear possibilities" to make it
happen.
While sharing his hopes for the future of Alexa, he
revealed that the company aims to personalise users' experience with their
virtual assistant, enabling them to have a natural conversation.
He
said that to enable Alexa to have natural conversations with its user, it
"has to know all" and become "the true source of knowledge for
everything.”
This announcement, however, comes around a risky time for
Amazon as it recently shelved a number of products and laid off around
18,000 people to "cut costs amid broader economic uncertainty", the report
further unveiled.
“I wouldn’t doubt we’ll dust them off at some
point and bring them back,” he said. “We’re still taking a lot of risks in
this organisation,” Limp said while commenting on the recent changes.
Nevertheless,
the company's focus remains on working with generative AI and exploring its
extents. Even though it remains a challenge for the company, Limp hopes to
work something out.
