Amazon Alexa gets new AI powers, with the same type of brain as ChatGPT

Amazon is adding the same type of brain that powers ChatGPT in Alexa.

The new technology aims to enable the virtual assistant to be more powerful and able to speak with its owners in more natural conversations.

This announcement was part of a wide range of new devices launched by Amazon this week. It also revealed new tablets and Echos, including those with screens, as well as plans to use generative artificial intelligence to create artwork to display on those screens.

Every year, Amazon announces a number of Alexa devices, which in the past have included everything from soundbars to microwaves.

This year, much of the focus has been on artificial intelligence. While Alexa was one of the first virtual assistants of its kind to go mainstream, Amazon lags behind competitors such as Microsoft and Google in integrating new large-scale language models into these systems.

The sudden rise of this technology has prompted increased scrutiny of AI from regulators, given its widespread use and concerns about its potential impact on human life as well as industry, the employment and education.

During a live event to unveil its latest line of Alexa-powered devices, Amazon sought to reaffirm its position as the AI ​​market leader by introducing an update to the assistant that will enable more natural conversations with Alexa, rather than just transactional conversations. executing the request it is currently running on.

In a live demo of Alexa’s new Extended Language Model (LLM), Amazon Devices Manager Dave Limp showed how the new version of the assistant will be able to be more expressive in its responses – for example by appearing happiest when it returns a positive sports result for a user’s favorite team.

Based on a new section of the service called “Let’s Chat”, Alexa will respond without using a wake word first, will be able to resume a conversation after a pause while understanding the context, as well as the most vague and inferences. ” invites in a way that Limp says is “like talking to a friend.”

For example, the new Alexa will respond to the message “I’m cold” by turning on the heating in a connected home.

Amazon has not confirmed a general release date for the new version of Alexa, instead focusing on a preview program in the United States to test the new features with select users.

Technology expert Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight, said it was “unsurprising” to see Amazon discussing the power of its AI assistant in this way.

“It undoubtedly knows that it needs to keep pace with competitors like Google and Microsoft, so it was essential for this event to clearly articulate what it is doing in this area,” he said.

“The improved way of talking to Alexa certainly makes it a more personal experience, but success will depend on Amazon’s ability to get consumers to interact with Echo devices in a way that is very different from the transactional and basic queries used today. ‘today.

“Some users may find this a little intimidating, but if successful, it could make interactions much more conversational.”

Elsewhere at its hardware event, Amazon revealed a series of new hardware products, including several new Echo smart speakers and Alexa-powered smart home hubs, as well as new Fire tablets and updated Fire TV Stick devices.