Amazon's AI-enhanced Alexa is reportedly launching in October 2024. Key new features include cooking assistance, AI chat for kids and shopping alerts.
As we reported yesterday, Amazon is getting ready to launch an AI-enhanced version of its digital assistant, Alexa. The paid-for service promises to give Alexa extra powers, and now we know what those powers are going to be.
The Washington Post, which is owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, somehow managed to get hold of some internal documents from Amazon that shed light on the new service. And according to those documents the new service will launch in the US in October 2024, could cost as much as $10 per month, and will be dubbed Alexa. The existing version will be renamed to Classic Alexa.
Pricing decisions haven't been finalised yet, and the name could still change. But these are the key features Amazon hopes you'll be happy to pay for.
What new features will Alexa with AI deliver?
According to the Post, the features are:
Smart Briefing: This promises to give you daily, AI-generated summaries of news articles that are chosen based on your preferences. This feature is apparently one of the key reasons for the intended October launch: Amazon is hoping that its new Alexa will be the go-to source for news on the US presidential election.
More personal responses: The new Alexa will apparently feel "more conversational and charismatic", and it'll achieve that in part by asking you about the things you like to do. The privacy implications of that one are interesting, because that goes far beyond your Amazon order history and Alexa questions history.
Gordon Ramsay: Ok, not quite. But Amazon says that cooking is one of the top 3 areas where customers want more help from Alexa, so it's going to be offering AI-enhanced cooking assistance. We don't yet know what that means, but given that mushroom pickers have been warned not to buy AI-written books from Amazon for fear of being told that poisonous mushrooms are safe and tasty, here's hoping there are some safeguards in place.
Shopping scout: Amazon's retail business could get a boost from this new feature, which will enable you to ask Alexa questions such as whether there are any good deals on headphones, or set alerts for when new products you're interested in go on sale. Naturally the deals you'll be taken to will be Amazon ones.
AI for kids: Last but not least, Amazon promises a "safe and moderated" AI assistant that will enable kids to have "back-and-forth, exploratory conversations with Alexa about any topic under the sun."
