You’re not the only one who wants to know what happened to Amazon’s upgraded Alexa voice assistant. According to Bloomberg, Amazon has blocked access to its beta phase, which includes the new “Let’s Chat” phase, and the new Alexa is still in the development stage. The launch, which was originally scheduled for late 2024, has been rescheduled for next year.
Its large language models (LLMs) appear to be the issue. According to a follow-up story from The Verge, the new Alexa is made to comprehend more complex user inquiries, but it is also more prone to make mistakes while doing some of the most basic tasks that the previous version could complete with ease, such as setting a timer or controlling smart lights.
Also Read: What is Amazon Rufus? All About AI-Powered Shopping Assistant
The intended October release date for Amazon’s new Alexa AI version has been pushed back to the next year. (October has passed, as you may have observed.) The next evolutionary stage in Alexa’s development was supposed to debut on October 17 according to the original calendar, but Amazon changed its mind and utilized the day to launch its new Kindle ereader range. The new Alexa will be powered by Anthropic’s Claude AI, according to news reports in August, and would need a monthly subscription fee.
Also Read: Koupon AI: How to Use It to Find Amazon Promo Codes and Deals?
When ChatGPT started to gain traction in the summer of 2023, Andy Jassy, the CEO of Amazon, wanted to explore if Alexa could compete with it if it got an AI update. According to reports, Alexa’s responses were “nowhere near perfect” after Jassy began bombarding it with sports-related queries “like an ESPN reporter at a playoff press conference.” Jassy even used it to make up a recent game score.
Jassy and his colleagues executives believed their engineers could create a beta version of Alexa by early 2024, even though the software had passed the good enough stage. Regretfully, Amazon failed to fulfill its deadline.
The new Alexa still has a lot of work to do to address its issues, even with the extended deadline. According to some workers who spoke to Bloomberg, Amazon’s overworked management and lack of “a compelling vision for an AI-powered Alexa” are the real issues, not Alexa’s internal workings.
Also Read: Best Amazon AI Courses and Certifications for FREE in 2024
