A major upgrade plan for Amazon's intelligent voice assistant Alexa has been delayed again, and the new version is not expected to be launched until 2025. The editor of Downcodes will explain in detail the reasons behind this delay and Amazon’s strategic adjustments in the field of artificial intelligence. A report from Bloomberg pointed out that the AI team of the new version of Alexa, which was originally scheduled to be released this year, was recently informed that the project has been delayed. This has triggered a lot of speculation about Amazon's AI strategy.
As early as September last year, Amazon announced plans to make a major transformation of Alexa, with the goal of making it have intelligence similar to ChatGPT and provide a more natural and smooth conversation experience. However, a series of rumors and signs indicate that the development progress of the new Alexa is not going smoothly. Amazon was absent from major conferences this fall and closed access to the beta version of the new Alexa. Feedback from early testers was not ideal, with slow response times, blunt answers, and low practicality, even in smart home control. question.
At the same time, Amazon also closed beta access to the new Alexa. Previously, users could request to experience new features by saying "Alexa, let's chat" to an Echo device, but now Alexa's response has changed to "Chat is currently unavailable." Some early testers were dissatisfied with the performance of the new version, reporting slow responses, stilted responses, and low usability. To make matters worse, the new version of Alexa also has problems in smart home control, and sometimes "fantasy" phenomena occur, that is, providing some unnecessary additional information.
Integrating large language models with existing voice assistant control command methods seems to be a challenge. While the new AI model allows Alexa to answer more complex questions, it also makes it erroneous at simple tasks like setting a kitchen timer or controlling smart lights. While there are some issues with older versions of Alexa, for the most part, it's still capable of controlling smart home devices reliably.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy seems to have yet to crystallize his vision for AI-powered Alexa. Although he has publicly stated that "we continue to rewire Alexa's brain," specific information about what the new Alexa will bring to users is still scarce. In addition, Jassy also appointed a new head of the devices and services department, Panos Panya, who previously served as head of the Surface department at Microsoft and brought a focus on high-quality design.
In the process of constantly searching for its vision, Amazon may be able to return to founder Jeff Bezos's original vision and create an intelligent assistant similar to the "computer" in "Star Trek". But it currently appears that it will take some time for the new version of Alexa to come out.
The delayed launch of Alexa reflects the complexity of integrating large language models with existing voice assistants, as well as Amazon’s exploration and adjustment in the strategic direction of AI. In the future, whether Amazon can successfully realize its vision for Alexa remains to be seen. The editor of Downcodes will continue to pay attention to this matter and bring the latest reports.