Amazon Unveils Upgrades to Alexa Voice Assistant, Making It More Conversational
Nearly a decade after its launch, Amazon is giving its voice assistant Alexa a major upgrade to make it more conversational. Thanks to advancements in generative AI, Amazon has made Alexa more expressive, personable, and faster.
Although users still need to use the wake word “Alexa” to indicate they are speaking to the device, Alexa can now continue a conversation even after the user has walked away and returned. Additionally, Alexa has developed its own preferences and personality.
During the debut of the reengineered Alexa, the device confirmed its Seattle roots and its allegiance to the Seahawks. It proudly declared itself a “12th Man for life” to Dave Limp, Amazon’s senior vice president for devices and services.
To showcase its capabilities, Alexa demonstrated how it can remember a user’s favorite team, create a menu for a watch party, and draft a text message to invite friends over. This example also highlighted Amazon’s status as the home of Thursday Night Football.
The upgrades to Alexa were announced at Amazon’s annual devices event, where the company showcases new features and technologies. This year’s event also included upgrades to Amazon’s smart glasses, smart home hub, security systems, and Fire TV search function.
Throughout the presentations, Amazon emphasized generative AI as the key to unlocking the next generation of capabilities for consumers. The new Alexa capabilities enabled by generative AI will be available to customers soon.
Charlie French, director of product and engineering at Amazon, expressed excitement about the capabilities that were once considered science fiction but are now within reach. He believes that generative AI, along with advancements in hardware and software, will transform Alexa into a home’s central nervous system.
Dave Limp, who hosted the annual devices event for the last time this year, stated that the technology will drive an entirely new Alexa experience. He described the journey of creating a superhuman assistant that is there when needed and disappears when not.
Limp will retire by the end of the year after more than 13 years with Amazon. His departure follows other executive exits since Andy Jassy became CEO in 2021. To fill Limp’s role, Amazon plans to hire Microsoft’s product chief, Panos Panay.
Limp’s retirement comes after a challenging year for Amazon’s devices organization, which faced job cuts and speculation about the profitability of Alexa. However, Limp expressed pride in the teams he worked with and their dedication to invention.
In addition to the Alexa upgrades, Amazon announced several new tech features and devices, including eye gaze on Alexa, call translation, Alexa Emergency Assist, next-generation Echo Frames, and a new Echo Hub. The company is also working on a new speech-to-speech model and features that adapt a device’s home screen based on the user’s proximity.
As part of its commitment to sustainability, Amazon will publish the carbon footprint and a sustainability fact sheet for devices on its digital marketplace.