Amazon, the tech giant, is planning a reboot of its Alexa voice-assistant in 2021. According to documents seen by Insider, this move is part of Amazon’s plan to use its own large language model and generative AI technology, called Alexa Teacher Model, to make up for its declining popularity. Alexa Layoffs, which totaled to 2,000 employees last year, are no obstacle to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy’s big plans for the virtual assistant.
The documents focus on how Alexa will make use of the new AI technology in terms of entertainment and personalization. For example, it will be able to offer more accurate and personalized search results for video and audio, with a feature allowing for a visual map for devices that come with a screen. In addition, Alexa will be able to anticipate future user requests, provide one-liners of show summaries, and enable users to subscribe to new video streaming platforms like HBO Max.
In part of its continuing effort to engage its large user base, Alexa will also offer storytelling features, with fictional stories catered to the user likes and follow-up questions and clips. Alexa Teacher Model will also enable the voice assistant to provide more personalized news summaries and Q&A content, drawing from its wealth of data to answer user’s questions.
With Andy Jassy at the helm of Amazon, the company appears to be confident that AI technology will push Alexa to the next level of being the world’s best personal assistant. By harnessing its own AI technology and adapting to the needs of its user base, Amazon is determined to make Alexa flourish in the coming year.
