Amazon has been working on an upgrade for Alexa for much of 2024. Rumors last month said the tech giant wanted to implement AI technology into their assistant so it could compete with the likes of ChatGPT.
Now, as part of a new report, Reuters recently spoke to “eight current and former employees who worked on Alexa,” providing insight into what the future update could bring. These sources claim that the project, “known internally as Banyan,” consists of two versions of Alexa.
The first voice assistant, and the main focus of Amazon, is called ‘Remarkable Alexa’. This would be the more intelligent of the two with generative AI features. According to Reuters, it would be able to perform multiple tasks from a single prompt. such as writing a short email and ordering delivery.
The insiders say that Amazon also wants to improve the conversation skills of the smart assistant. This way you don’t have to repeat the name “Alexa” repeatedly when giving instructions.
Remarkably, Alexa can apparently create routines automatically without direct input from a user, as it will pay attention to your daily routine. For example, if the assistant hears your alarm go off in the morning, he will turn on your coffee maker. “Amazon reportedly also wants to boost home automation.”
According to Reuters sources, Alexa will connect to “smart devices” that can be controlled via voice commands. In another example, you could instruct the AI to “turn on the porch lights every day at 8 p.m.” The report says customers will need to purchase “additional Alexa devices” to enable whole-home control.
Potential prizes
Keep in mind that the new Alexa won’t be a free upgrade. Amazon plans to launch Remarkable Alexa as a monthly add-on to Prime memberships, although the price is still up in the air as it could cost $5 or $10. With a Prime subscription, people can expect to pay a total of $19.99 to $24.99 per month.
It’s worth noting that the sources were critical of the extra costs and questioned whether people were willing to pay for something that’s already free. Furthermore, there may be no special connection with Amazon’s $139 per year Prime membership.
There is very little information about the second version of Alexa. All that is known is that it will serve as a replacement for “Classic Alexa”, the current version, and will also be powered by artificial intelligence.
Busy
Reuters claims there is a lot of internal pressure at Amazon’s headquarters to get the Alexa refresh right. Their sources say the project represents “a ‘desperate attempt’ to revive the service.” Alexa has never turned a profit in all these years, and its stature in the industry has shrunk with the rise of generative AI.
Amazon is pushing employees to launch Remarkable Alexa sometime in August, but don’t get too attached to that release window. The start window and final price may change, or the project may be canceled at any time. It all depends on how well the development continues.
As with any leak, you should take this information with a grain of salt. Check out Ny Breaking’s list of the best Alexa speakers for 2024.