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The new version of the voice assistant has a more natural experience with users thanks to the Big Language Model, making Alexa’s conversations feel more like talking to a human.

For example, if a user says, “Alexa, I’m cold,” Alexa will know that the room temperature needs to be raised. Amazon is enhancing Alexa’s intelligence by integrating generative AI to more thoughtfully meet user needs.

Amazon also introduced a new “speech-to-speech” engine that senses a user’s mood and tone and allows Alexa to respond differently based on the user’s mood.

For example, if a customer asks for an update on their favourite sports team and they win the latest game, Alexa will be able to respond with a happy voice. However, if they lose, Alexa will sound more sympathetic.

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Prasad will report directly to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy. Prasad previously reported to former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, but more recently his direct report has been David Limp, Amazon’s senior vice president of devices.

It was earlier reported that Prasad would report to the CEO, but it was not known what his role would be at the time. Amazon said in the email that in the future, Prasad will lead a central team to help Amazon build the most scalable large language model, and AI software developed with this model can understand common languages.

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To redeem itself, Amazon plans to revamp Alexa with ChatGPT technology to make it smarter, more fun, and more profitable. According to Businessinsider, internal documents reveal that Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has an ambitious goal to make Alexa think rather than pull information from a database and that he wants Alexa to be “the world’s best personal assistant He wants Alexa to be “the best personal assistant in the world.

Specifically, Amazon wants to give Alexa more innovative capabilities for entertainment, including more conversational video search, personalized recommendations, and the ability to read stories and news more interactively. For example, if a user wants to find a show similar to Netflix’s Lovers in Paris but less focused on fashion, Alexa can suggest Amazon’s own The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and give reasons for the recommendation. If the user wants more information about the recommended show, Alexa can give a one-sentence summary and play the trailer on a device with a screen, and the user can play the show directly on the TV with voice commands.

Another example is if a user asks “What should I watch tonight?” Alexa will be able to give options based on past search results. The user can further narrow the search by saying “not too romantic” or “Oscar-winning movies. After the user has watched the movie, Alexa can also follow up with user discussion boards, short films, interviews with actors, and other content.

In addition to video search, Amazon also wants Alexa to provide better news summaries and Q&A content. The document says Alexa can “present users with a personalized list of news highlights and help them dive deeper into each story by retrieving relevant news and information.” For example, if a user hears a news story about a growing wolf population and asks how many wolves there are in Washington state, Alexa will be able to give an answer and recommend a podcast about the endangered wolf species.

Amazon also plans to launch a new storytelling feature for home users. In one scenario described in the document, Alexa was able to create a story about “Mittens, the first cat to ever go to the moon,” based on an 8-year-old’s need for a story about “cats and the moon. The first cat to ever go to the moon” bedtime story. If a child is playing with an Olaf toy, the Echo Show device with a screen recognizes it and adds the Disney character to the story. It also makes the stories more interactive, such as involving the child in creating the story or generating concept art on the Echo Show screen, and the document also mentions partnership opportunities with companies like Disney and Lego.

All of this seems to be part of Amazon’s efforts to increase Alexa’s revenue potential. language model as the foundation for Alexa.

“I think this is going to dramatically accelerate our vision of being the best personal assistant in the world,” Jesse said last week, “and I think there’s a big business model behind it.”

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After launching an Android version, Amazon is fulfilling its CES promise to support an iOS setup for Matter devices, which will allow Matter devices (Reports include those that have only supported Apple Home in the past) to work with Amazon Alexa and Echo speakers. With the use of.

Amazon claims there are more than 100 million Matter-enabled Echo devices in the global market. Amazon customers have connected more than 300 million smart home devices to Alexa, and that will expand with the launch of Matter.

Matter on Alexa will now also support Thread, not just Wi-Fi connectivity; the update covers 2nd Gen Echo, Echo Plus, and Echo Dot devices as Matter controllers, and Echo (4th Gen ).

To support Matter, Amazon announced a new version of Works with Alexa (WWA) and the Frustration-Free Setup (FFS) program for Matter devices, which will allow users to use products with Alexa and simplify the setup process.

With the firmware update available, users can now begin updating their compatible Echo devices and expanding their smart homes.

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MKBHD had put out a comparison video of voice assistants in 2017. 5 years later, MKBHD still awarded the best voice assistant to Google Assistant, while Amazon’s Alexa performed the worst. And Siri came in second to last.

In this test Siri mainly had problems handling multiple countdowns. On the HomePod and even the Apple Watch, Siri can set multiple countdowns, while on the iPhone, Siri can only set 1 countdown. In terms of response speed, both Siri and Samsung’s Bixby had lagging answers.

All four assistants are good at answering facts when prompted with specific questions. However, it’s the follow-up questions that give Bixby and Alexa the most headaches. Siri and Assistant were competitive when it came to conversational questioning, but MKBHD’s testing showed that Assistant was able to stick to a longer context than Siri.

Siri also falls short when it comes to device control. Google Assistant and Samsung’s Bixby are able to launch voice recordings and play specific shows on Netflix. siri seems to just launch the relevant apps without taking any further steps.

Siri also didn’t fare well when it came to taking selfies by voice. Google Assistant launched the Camera app and switched to the front-facing camera, and started a countdown before taking a photo. Siri just launched the camera, even though voice control was fully capable of driving the camera app on the iPhone.

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Some sources said the cost-cutting review will last for several months. As part of this review, Amazon has told some of its unprofitable division employees to look for work in other positions at the company because the teams they work on are being suspended or shut down.

The U.S. media noted that this approach by Amazon contrasts with the company’s massive expansion during the epidemic. From the end of 2019 to the end of 2021, Amazon hired more than 800,000 employees, mostly at its hundreds of warehouses, to keep up with the surge in orders on the line.

During that time, Amazon also spent more than $10 billion to acquire a robotics equipment maker, a film and TV studio and a primary care health company. Amazon is continuing to invest in areas of the business that it sees growth potential, such as healthcare, the sources said.

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The voice assistant will be built using Amazon’s Alexa custom assistant, a service that lets automakers and device makers build their own digital assistants using the company’s Alexa technology.

BMW says it will be able to create its own wake-up words and customized sounds and functions based on Alexa to “enable a more natural dialogue between the driver and the vehicle. This is especially critical to help reduce distractions for drivers who may need help adjusting heating and cooling settings, finding directions or changing music at high speeds.

Amazon launched its Alexa custom assistant service in late 2021 with the aim of saving money by licensing Alexa’s underlying technology for other companies to build their own assistants.

BMW said it plans to roll out a new customized voice assistant to its cars within the next two years. The automaker says the new feature will offer customers the benefit of acting as an intelligent assistant to vehicle and service experts, while Alexa will provide a familiar experience that many customers already know and love.

The in-car screen and software experience has proven to be a ripe market for companies like Amazon, Apple and Google. But only the latter two tech giants have their own mobile operating systems, allowing for plug-in platforms like Apple’s CarPlay and Google’s Android Auto.

Amazon is actually producing its own plug-in device for cars, called Echo Auto, though the device is far from perfect. When the press tested it in a review, it struggled with location-based queries and had connectivity issues with whatever phone it was tethered to.

Amazon has made some deals with automakers for direct Alexa integration, most recently with Lamborghini and electric car startup Rivian, and Amazon’s Echo Auto platform can be accessed through a mobile app or via a dongle that users plug into their cars. But none of these are as seamless as the services offered by Apple and Google.

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First available in 2018, Echo Auto connects to the vehicle’s infotainment system to bring the Alexa assistant into the vehicle. Drivers can plug the device into the vehicle’s auxiliary port or through their smartphone’s Bluetooth connection and Alexa app.

The most notable changes to the $54.99 second-generation version are its smaller size and sleeker shape and a new adhesive mount that gives drivers some flexibility in places they may want to secure the device.

According to Amazon, Echo Auto now has five microphones, which ensures that the driver’s requests can be heard even over typical background road noise or even music. It also comes with a fast charging 3.0 certified adapter, which in turn can be used to quickly charge the phone.

In terms of features, Amazon has added roadside assistance to Alexa, which means it will also come to Echo Auto, where users can say “Alexa, call roadside assistance” to connect with an agent who will request help on behalf of a driver or passenger to solve problems like running out of gas or a flat tire.

Users can also turn their smartphones into driver-friendly displays with a feature called “Auto Mode,” which can be launched through the Alexa app on the smartphone. auto mode isn’t new – it was first mentioned two years ago – but it’s there for a reason.

Amazon wants to offer an alternative for owners of older cars who lack the high resolution and large displays common to newer models. It’s a sign that Amazon is keen to capture the entire automotive market, not just Alexa as an embedded technology in cars through automaker partnerships.

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Tap to Alexa is an accessibility feature that lets you interact with the voice assistant using touch rather than voice. Previously only available on Echo Show devices (speakers with touch screens), it is now available on Amazon’s 8th generation or newer Fire tablets in the US, UK, Germany and Japan.

When Tap to Alexa is enabled, a small “tap” icon will appear on the screen, which when tapped will open a dashboard of frequently used commands. These commands include stop, timer, alarm, weather, traffic, and jokes. Text-to-speech on the Fire tablet will allow users to enter phrases and have the Fire tablet speak them aloud. Users can also add any specific request to their tiles. For example, play a favorite TV show, call a friend, or run an Alexa program such as the Goodnight app that locks the smart lock and turns off the smart light.

There is also a new feature that is compatible with Bluetooth switch access controllers, such as a button, eye blink sensor or sip straw. Combined with Tap to Alexa, the switch access controller makes it possible for those with severe mobility impairments to make Alexa requests directly on the Fire tablet. For users with speech impairments, the text-to-speech feature on the Fire tablet is designed to allow users to enter phrases and speak them aloud through the tablet. Shortcuts can also be saved for common phrases, such as “I’m hungry.

Amazon said it worked with the United Spinal Institute’s Technology Access Initiative to get feedback on these new features and to see how it could help users with speech and mobility impairments become more independent.

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