Amazon today announced the launch of Alexa+, a new version of Alexa that includes large language models, agentic capabilities, services, and devices at scale to redefine "the way we interact with digital assistants." Alexa+ is smarter, more personalized, and more proactive about making suggestions to users, according to Amazon. The experience is designed to improve as users interact more with Alexa, and Alexa has been updated to have more personality. Users can expect a smoother and more intuitive experience when speaking with Alexa, and the personal assistant will be better able to understand what a user wants regardless of phrasing. Alexa continues to have integrations with various services like Spotify and Apple Music, along with smart home devices. Amazon says…

Amazon on Wednesday unveiled the first major overhaul of its Alexa voice assistant since its introduction more than a decade ago, embedding it with generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). Reuters: ‎ The effort carries significant weight at Amazon, which has plowed billions of dollars into Alexa since its launch in 2014 in the hope of putting the service into a range of devices and ultimately driving sales on its main e-commerce website. The new service is called Alexa+, Panay said, echoing the nomenclature of the higher tier of many tech and streaming service offerings. Alexa+ is free for Amazon Prime members and is priced at $19.99 a month for non-Prime users. The service will be available in March to some users,…

Amazon today sent out invites for an AI-focused event that will be held on February 26, and according to Reuters, the company plans to introduce its next-generation Alexa generative AI service. Since Amazon introduced Alexa in 2014, it has become one of the most widely available voice assistants, but it has been falling behind with the proliferation of generative AI products like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. Revamping Alexa into a generative AI service will mark the biggest change Amazon has made to the product since its launch. Alexa will be able to hold complex, context-aware conversations with users, and will be able to handle multi-faceted requests. Amazon is using AI models from Anthropic's Claude rather than relying solely on its…

OpenAI announced Tuesday the beta launch of “Tasks” for ChatGPT, marking its entry into the virtual assistant market and positioning it as a competitor to existing offerings like Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa. : ‎ Tasks will enable ChatGPT users to request tasks to be performed at a future time, including one-time reminders such as concert ticket sales or recurring actions like weekly news briefings or daily weather updates. Based on user chats, ChatGPT may also suggest tasks, although users will have the option to accept or decline them. OpenAI said that it will start rolling out the beta to Plus, Team, and Pro users globally over the next few days, beginning with the web platform. ‎ MacDailyNews Take: Pretty…

Amazon has been working on developing new version of Siri competitor Alexa powered by generative AI, dubbed “Remarkable Alexa,” as the massive digital retailer hopes to charge for its use, but concerns about the quality of in-house AI have prompted Amazon to turn to Anthropic’s Claude, Reuters reports. Greg Bensinger for Reuters: ‎ Amazon’s revamped Alexa due for release in October ahead of the U.S. holiday season will be powered primarily by Anthropic’s Claude artificial intelligence models, rather than its own AI, five people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Amazon plans to charge $5 to $10 a month for its new “Remarkable” version of Alexa as it will use powerful generative AI to answer complex queries, while still offering…

Amazon is set to release a revamped version of its Alexa voice assistant this October that will be powered by AI models from Anthropic's Claude, rather than Amazon's in-house AI technology, reports Reuters. Amazon's Echo device with Alexa The decision to use Claude's AI models comes after Amazon's internal software reportedly struggled with performance issues during initial testing. Sources who spoke to Reuters claim that early versions using Amazon's own AI had difficulty responding promptly, sometimes taking up to 6-7 seconds to acknowledge and reply to prompts. This new AI-enhanced "Remarkable" Alexa is expected to offer more advanced capabilities compared to the current version. Users will reportedly be able to engage in more complex, context-aware conversations with the assistant. Some…