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Is Alexa about to get smarter? Amazon will copy Apple by giving its smart assistant a powerful AI revamp, report claims
Just a few weeks after Apple laid out its grand new AI project, it seems Amazon is getting in on the act too.
The tech giant is about to fit its smart assistant Alexa with powerful generative AI capabilities that make it much smarter, according to a report.
Alexa will be fitted with a 'conversational generative AI', it says – although it's unclear what AI model this will actually be.
It means she will be able to respond faster and in more human-like language in response to complicated prompts or queries.
Amazon's big rivals in tech already have their own AI chatbots, including Google (Gemini) and X (Grok) while Microsoft and Apple have integrations with ChatGPT.
Amazon is planning a major revamp of Alexa to include a conversational generative AI. Alexa powers the firm's Echo smart speakers (pictured)
Known internally as 'Banyan', Amazon's new project would represent the first major overhaul of the voice assistant since it was introduced in 2014 along with the Echo line of speakers.
Amazon has dubbed the new voice assistant 'Remarkable Alexa' according to 'people with direct knowledge of the company's plans' cited by Reuters.
It will cost a monthly fee of around $5 (£4) to access, the report says, although there will still be a free and less capable version of the assistant without the AI.
Some of the Amazon employees who have worked on the project say Banyan represents a 'desperate attempt' to revitalise the Alexa service, which has never turned a profit.
Amazon has pushed workers towards a deadline of August to prepare the newest version of Alexa, the sources added, but it's unclear when it could be released.
The company's CEO Andy Jassy has reportedly taken a personal interest in seeing Alexa reinvigorated.
In an April letter to shareholders, Jassy promised a 'more intelligent and capable' Alexa – but did not provide additional details.
For Amazon, keeping up with rivals in generative AI is critical as Google, Microsoft and OpenAI have garnered more favorable attention for their AI chatbots that can respond almost instantaneously with full sentences to complicated prompts or queries
Earlier this month, Apple revealed that its smart assistant Siri will be powered by ChatGPT on the next major software update for its devices
In a statement, an Amazon spokesperson said the firm has 'already integrated generative AI into different components of Alexa'.
'[We] are working hard on implementation [of] over half a billion ambient, Alexa-enabled devices already in homes around the world-to enable even more proactive, personal, and trusted assistance for our customers,' the spokesperson said.
Amazon has already introduced a chatbot called Q, although it helps with business queries and is not designed for general use for news, weather and facts.
It comes a few weeks after Apple revealed that its smart assistant Siri will be powered by ChatGPT on the next major software update for its devices.
Apple insists that private user information and their queries will not be logged or stored by Siri, unlike the normal version of ChatGPT.
However, Elon Musk is among those who doesn't buy this, having tweeted that Apple is 'selling you down the river' by handing your data over to OpenAI.
THE TRILLION DOLLAR RISE OF APPLE
1976: Founders Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne created the company on April 1 1976 as they set about selling computer kits to hobbyists, each of which was built by Wozniak.
The first product was the Apple I.
1977: Apple released the Apple II in June, which was the first PC made for the mass market.
Steve Jobs unveils Apple Computer Corporation's new Macintosh February 6, 1984 in California.
1981: Jobs became chairman.
1984: The Macintosh was introduced during an ad break for the Super Bowl and later officially unveiled during a launch event. It was discontinued a year later and Jobs left the firm.
1987: Apple released the Macintosh II, the first colour Mac.
1997: Apple announces it will acquire NeXT software in a $400 million deal that involves Jobs returning to Apple as interim CEO. He officially took the role in 2000.
The then Chief Executive Officer of Apple, Steve Jobs, with the iPhone
2001: Apple introduced iTunes, OS X and the first-generation iPod.
The first iPod MP3 music player was released on October 23, 2001, at an event in Cupertino and was able to hold up to 1,000 songs.
2007: Apple unveils the iPhone.
2010: The first iPad was unveiled.
2011: Jobs resigned in 2011 due to illness, handing the CEO title to Tim Cook. Jobs died in October from pancreatic cancer.
2014: Apple unveiled the Apple Watch. It also unveiled its first larger iPhones - the 6 and 6 Plus.
2015: After purchasing Beats from Dr Dre, Apple launched Apple Music to compete with Spotify and other music streaming services.
2016: Apple returned to its roots and announced the 4-inch iPhone SE. Meanwhile, the firm is embroiled in a legal battle with the FBI, involving the agency demanding access to the locked phone used by Syed Farook, who died in a shootout after carrying out a deadly December attack in San Bernardino, California with his wife. The court order was dropped on March 28 after the FBI said a third party was able to unlock the device.
2017: Apple introduces the iPhone X, which removes the home button to make way for a futuristic edge-to-edge screen design and a new FaceID system that uses advanced sensors and lasers to unlock phones with just the owner's face.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs speaks at an Apple event at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, Calif.
2018: In a first for the company, Apple introduces new features in its latest operating system, iOS 12, that encourage users to manage and spend less time on their devices. The move was spawned by a strongly worded letter from shareholders that urged the firm to address the growing problem of smartphone addiction among kids and teenagers.
2019: In January, Apple reports its first decline in revenues and profits in a decade. CEO Tim Cook partly blamed steep declines in revenue from China.
2020: In March, Apple closes all its bricks and mortar retail stores outside of China in response to coronavirus.
2021: In an online virtual event in April CEO Tim Cook declared Apple's goal of becoming carbon neutral for Earth Day. Later in the year the iPhone 13 was announced.
2022: In September the iPhone 14 was announced. One of the new features included a new sensor to detect if a user had been in a car crash as well as an improved camera system.
2023: Apple brought back its 'Home Pod' after the first generation was discontinued. The 'Home Pod' can be seen as an alternative to Amazon's Alexa or Google Home as it is powered by voice commands.