Amazon.com
is upgrading its cloud-based voice service, known as Alexa, with generative artificial intelligence technology so it can converse more like a human, the company said Wednesday.
Amazon
(ticker: AMZN), at its 2023 product event Wednesday, unveiled some generative AI upgrades to new and existing devices equipped with Alexa, such as Echo devices. The tech assistant that lives on millions of people’s kitchen counters will soon be able to interact with people in a more human way,
Amazon
said.
“I’ve often said that Alexa is the best personal AI out there, but it’s always been a little more transactional than we’d like. But that was a limit of the technology, not the vision,” Dave Limp, senior vice president of devices and services at Amazon, said at the event. “You can now have near humanlike conversations with Alexa.”
The event showcased these capabilities on the updated Echo Show 8, which retails for $149.99 and will begin shipping next month. Limp had a live conversation with Alexa about football, where the device remembered his favorite college team without Limp mentioning it himself. The voice service also recommended food options for a football party with friends, and wrote up an invitation to that party on the spot.
Echo customers will get a free preview of these conversational capabilities on Echo devices they already own, including those original devices shipped back in 2014.
Excitement around the future of AI has driven up tech stocks this year. The
Nasdaq Composite
index has climbed 31% in 2023, with Amazon shares surging more than 60% so far this year. Amazon has previously discussed how AI can improve its Web Services business, but Wednesday’s announcements differ as they focus on everyday consumer interactions with the technology.
Amazon also said the way Alexa speaks will change early next year to a less robotic cadence. The voice will soon include emotional inflections like laughter and surprise.
Shares of Amazon were down 0.3% Wednesday to $137.29.
Write to Angela Palumbo at [email protected]
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