Amazon has launched its updated digital assistant, Alexa+, to over 100,000 users, as announced by CEO Andy Jassy during the company’s recent earnings call. Despite being a small fraction of the 600 million Alexa devices in circulation, this rollout, which began in February, marks a significant step forward. Initially, Amazon indicated that Alexa+ would be released in phases over the coming months.
Alexa+ is designed to enhance user interaction by enabling more natural conversation and allowing it to perform tasks through third-party applications. The new version aims to generate unique responses on-demand, similar to the capabilities seen in OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini, contrasting sharply with the fixed responses of previous assistants like Alexa and Siri.
However, the current version of Alexa+ lacks several promised features that were showcased during its initial demonstration. According to The Washington Post, these features include the ability to use external apps like GrubHub, create bedtime stories for children, and brainstorm gift ideas. The timeline for when these functionalities will be added remains uncertain, though Jassy mentioned upcoming enhancements.
Jassy described Alexa+ as one of the pioneering action-oriented AI assistants aimed at consumers, although he acknowledged that the technology is still in its rudimentary stages and exhibits low accuracy rates, typically between 30% and 60%. He set a target for the system, powered by the web-browsing agent Nova Act, to achieve a 90% accuracy rate in the future.
In contrast to Amazon’s progress, Apple’s new, large language model (LLM)-powered Siri appears to be facing delays. When queried about Siri’s rollout during the same earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that the company required additional time to finalize the new features.
Both Amazon and Apple are navigating challenges in enhancing their legacy digital assistants with generative AI. A significant stumbling block involves integrating LLMs with tools and systems, which is essential for performing practical tasks such as setting reminders and reading messages. The complexity involved has made execution more difficult than initially anticipated.
As Amazon forges ahead with Alexa+, the competition with Apple’s Siri continues to evolve, with both companies striving to keep pace in the rapidly advancing landscape of AI technology.
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