In a bid to revolutionize its AI-powered voice assistant, Amazon is reportedly gearing up to launch a new subscription service called Alexa Plus. While the enhanced capabilities could promise a more personalized experience, there is a catch – users might have to pay for this premium service, report Business Insider. The anticipated launch date is June 30, although potential delays loom as internal concerns have been raised regarding the readiness of the technology.
According to a report by the Business Insider, the underlying technology driving this upgrade could be known as Remarkable Alexa. Amazon has already initiated testing with 15,000 external customers, seeking to provide more conversational interactions and a deeper level of customization, adds the report. However, employees who have had early access to the service have voiced concerns about its current performance.
Reportedly, the new Alexa struggles with accuracy, often providing long and inaccurate answers while deflecting queries. It appears to face difficulties in handling complex commands, leading to internal skepticism about its readiness for a widespread rollout.
The technology shift is notable as the new Alexa relies on a single Large Language Model (LLM) for both response generation and language understanding. In contrast, the legacy version utilized Natural Language Processing (NLP) that distributed context history and personalization signals across various components. This alteration has sparked debates among employees, with some citing tensions over whether users will be willing to pay for the upgraded Alexa experience.
Despite the internal challenges, Amazon seems determined to push forward with the launch, emphasizing the benefits of a more conversational and personalized AI assistant. Whether users will embrace the subscription model for Alexa Plus remains to be seen, raising questions about the delicate balance between innovation and consumer willingness to pay for enhanced AI capabilities.
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Published: 19 Jan 2024, 07:06 PM IST
