Amazon to Launch Paid Version of Advanced Alexa in Mid-2024
The well-known online sales company Amazon is set to launch a new version of its virtual assistant Alexa in mid-2024. The new paid variant, called ‘Alexa Plus’, will use advanced and customizable artificial intelligence technology known as ‘Remarkable Alexa’. This new version of Alexa has been tested with 15,000 customers, but it still faces some challenges, including inaccuracies in responses and handling simultaneous customer requests.
According to a report from Business Insider, Amazon executives are not fully satisfied with the performance of the new ‘Remarkable Alexa’ technology. While it excels in maintaining conversations and sharing information, it has been noted to provide answers that are longer than necessary or not entirely accurate. Moreover, it struggles with handling simultaneous customer requests, such as multitasking commands like turning on the light and playing music simultaneously.
It is crucial for Amazon that its virtual assistant generates revenue in order to continue development. A source within the company mentioned that if Alexa fails to produce revenue, its future could be at risk. The paid version of Alexa, ‘Alexa Plus’, is expected to launch on June 30, 2024.
In the meantime, Amazon continues to implement artificial intelligence in various aspects of its business, such as using AI to create summaries of customer reviews. However, this has raised concerns about the accuracy and the potential dehumanization of content. The AI-generated summaries have been found to highlight critical comments disproportionately and draw erroneous conclusions about products based on a small sample of negative reviews.
With the upcoming launch of ‘Alexa Plus’, Amazon is expected to provide more details about the features and pricing of the new paid version of its virtual assistant.