The Gulf Time Newspaper One of the finest business newspapers in the UAE brought to you by our professional writers and editors.
BLOOMBERG
Amazon.com Inc previewed a push into generative artificial intelligence with new features for its Alexa voice assistant. The new system will focus on a conversation-like interface, real-world applications, personalisation, personality and privacy, Dave Limp, the company’s outgoing devices and services chief, said during an event at Amazon’s second headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.
“You can now have near human-like interactions with Alexa,” Limp said. In a demonstration, the company showed how the new interface could hold a live back-and-forth conversation — similar to chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
The system learns about its users, so if they ask the system how their favourite football team is doing, Alexa already knows which team the person is referring to. The demonstration also showed how conversations could continue based on preceding interactions, bypassing the typical need to again provide context and summoning the device with the Alexa wake word.
Like ChatGPT, the system can also send text on behalf of the user to others. For instance, the demonstration showed a screen-based version of Alexa writing an invitation to friends to come over to a watch a football game. Amazon also announced a revamped Echo Show 8 smart-home device — its speaker with a screen — with a redesigned interface and improved speakers.
The gadget uses computer vision to change its interface based on how close a person is standing to the screen. For instance, when a user is far from the speaker, a weather app will show the temperature. But if a user is close to it, it will show the forecast for the rest of the day.
The new interface adds a 40% faster response time for the Alexa voice assistant as well as new features for sustainability, including recycled packaging. The new model is priced at $149.99 and will begin shipping in October.
The company also demonstrated a feature called Emergency Assist that lets users call for emergency help hands-free via Alexa. The system will cost $5.99 per month or $59 per year. It will also have the ability to automatically reach preset emergency contacts. The system rivals Apple’s latest emergency features, which operate similarly on iPhones.