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Amazon to Put Advanced AI Features Behind Alexa Paywall, While Keeping Basic Features Free

  • Amazon plans to add premium generative AI features to Alexa behind a paywall, while keeping basic Alexa capabilities free.

  • Outgoing Amazon exec Dave Limp says remarkable generative AI abilities will be worth charging for.

  • Alexa Guard users were surprised to find previously free features like glass break detection now requiring payment under new Alexa Emergency Assist.

  • Alexa Emergency Assist offers some features free to Ring Protect users until 2024, others will pay higher fees.

  • More Alexa features are likely to go behind paywall over time as Amazon seeks new revenue streams.

theregister.com
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Main Topic: Amazon announces the use of generative AI to enhance product reviews. Key points: 1. Amazon will use generative AI to provide short summaries of product reviews on the product detail page. 2. Some reviewers craft detailed and informative reviews that would be lost in AI-generated summaries. 3. The feature may discourage reviewers from putting in as much time and effort if their work goes unread by shoppers.
### Summary Amazon has a long history of AI adoption and is currently developing new AI functionality, including custom processors and generative AI services. Despite a recent rebound in its e-commerce business, Amazon's stock is still trading at a much lower price, making it a good investment opportunity. ### Facts - Amazon has been using AI for various purposes such as recommendation systems, inventory management, packing and shipping, ad targeting, and virtual assistant (Alexa). - The company is developing custom processors for faster data processing in its data centers and cloud computing operations. - Amazon's AWS has recently launched the generative AI service named Bedrock. - New AI features on Amazon's website help sellers create product descriptions, summarize product reviews, combat fake customer reviews, and promote real ones. - Despite a 65% increase in its stock price this year, Amazon's stock is still trading at a significantly discounted price. ### 📈 Amazon has a long history of AI adoption and development. ### 💡 The company is developing custom processors and generative AI services. ### 💰 Amazon's stock is currently trading at a discounted price, making it a good investment opportunity.
Companies are adopting Generative AI technologies, such as Copilots, Assistants, and Chatbots, but many HR and IT professionals are still figuring out how these technologies work and how to implement them effectively. Despite the excitement and potential, the market for Gen AI is still young and vendors are still developing solutions.
Generative AI, a technology with the potential to significantly boost productivity and add trillions of dollars to the global economy, is still in the early stages of adoption and widespread use at many companies is still years away due to concerns about data security, accuracy, and economic implications.
Generative artificial intelligence, particularly large language models, has the potential to revolutionize various industries and add trillions of dollars of value to the global economy, according to experts, as Chinese companies invest in developing their own AI models and promoting their commercial use.
The generative AI market is predicted to grow by 42% annually, reaching $280 billion by 2033, with Amazon being identified as an AI stock that is worth accumulating for long-term investment due to its resurgence in the second quarter, its strong presence in e-commerce, digital advertising, and cloud computing markets, as well as its leadership in AI through Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Amazon has introduced generative AI capabilities to help sellers generate high-quality listing content, streamlining the product listing process and improving efficiency and performance.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being used in smartphones, with Google and Apple integrating AI features into their devices, including camera enhancements, adaptive features, and smart suggestions, while AI-powered generative chatbots like ChatGPT and Google Bard are challenging traditional digital assistants like Google Assistant, Siri, and Alexa. The AI revolution is just beginning, with more AI and machine learning features expected to come to market in the future.
Generative AI is a form of artificial intelligence that can create various forms of content, such as images, text, music, and virtual worlds, by learning patterns and rules from existing data, and its emergence raises ethical questions regarding authenticity, intellectual property, and job displacement.
Amazon has unveiled a new Alexa voice assistant, powered by its Alexa large language model, that can understand conversational phrases, interpret context more effectively, and complete multiple requests from one command, marking a significant advancement in voice assistant technology.
At its annual hardware event, Amazon announced Explore With Alexa, a kid-friendly version of its chatbot that provides educational content and games, along with new kid-friendly devices like the Echo Pop Kids smart speaker and Fire Kids tablets.
Amazon hosted an event to introduce new devices and services, including an updated version of Alexa with optimized language models for voice interactions, new Echo and Ring products, next-generation Echo Frames, new Fire Tablets and Fire TV devices, and the eero Max 7 mesh system.
Big Tech companies like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are pushing generative AI assistants for their products and services, but it remains to be seen if consumers will actually use and adopt these tools, as previous intelligent assistants have not gained widespread adoption or usefulness. The companies are selling the idea that generative AI is amazing and will greatly improve our lives, but there are still concerns about trust, reliability, and real-world applications of these assistants.
Recent developments in generative AI have sparked a gold rush, with big tech companies like Amazon and Google announcing upgrades to their voice-controlled digital assistants, Alexa and Bard, respectively, while Nvidia sees the potential of India becoming one of the largest AI markets in the world.
Amazon has made a strategic investment of up to $4 billion in AI company Anthropic, positioning itself as a competitor against Microsoft, Meta, Google, and Nvidia in the AI field, while also gaining access to Anthropic's AI models and Amazon Web Services' computational power.
Amazon is considering introducing subscription fees for Alexa's advanced AI features in the future, according to Dave Limp, SVP of devices and services at Amazon, who stated that Alexa would have to be "remarkable" before such charges are implemented.
Summary: Technology companies have been overpromising and underdelivering on artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, risking disappointment and eroding public trust, as AI products like Amazon's remodeled Alexa and Google's ChatGPT competitor called Bard have failed to function as intended. Additionally, companies must address essential questions about the purpose and desired benefits of AI technology.
Generative AI, fueled by big tech investment, will continue to advance in 2024 with bigger models, increased use in design and video creation, and the rise of multi-modal capabilities, while also raising concerns about electoral interference, prompting the demand for prompt engineers, and integrating into apps and education.
Generative AI is an emerging technology that is gaining attention and investment, with the potential to impact nonroutine analytical work and creative tasks in the workplace, though there is still much debate and experimentation taking place in this field.
Generative AI, such as ChatGPT, is evolving to incorporate multi-modality, fusing text, images, sounds, and more to create richer and more capable programs that can collaborate with teams and contribute to continuous learning and robotics, prompting an arms race among tech giants like Microsoft and Google.
Generative AI is expected to have a significant impact on the labor market, automating tasks and revolutionizing data analysis, with projected economic implications of $4.1 trillion and potentially benefiting AI-related stocks and software companies.
China-based tech giant Alibaba has unveiled its generative AI tools, including the Tongyi Qianwen chatbot, to enable businesses to develop their own AI solutions, and has open-sourced many of its models, positioning itself as a major player in the generative AI race.
Generative AI has the potential to transform various industries by revolutionizing enterprise knowledge sharing, simplifying finance operations, assisting small businesses, enhancing retail experiences, and improving travel planning.
The BBC has outlined its principles for evaluating and utilizing generative AI, aiming to provide more value to its audiences while prioritizing talent and creativity, being open and transparent, and maintaining trust in the news industry. The company plans to start projects exploring the use of generative AI in various fields, including journalism research and production, content discovery and archive, and personalized experiences. However, the BBC has also blocked web crawlers from accessing its websites to safeguard its interests.
Amazon is making strategic moves in the artificial intelligence (AI) space, including developing its own semiconductor chips and offering AI-as-a-service, positioning itself as a key player in the AI race alongside Big Tech counterparts.
Generative AI start-ups, such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Builder.ai, are attracting investments from tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon, and Alphabet, with the potential to drive significant economic growth and revolutionize industries.
Amazon's $4 billion investment in AI start-up Anthropic boosts Amazon Web Services (AWS) and its potential for growth in the cloud computing market, positioning Amazon for long-term gains and improving its profit margins.
Amazon is working to regain sustained growth and profitability after a period of decline, but it is also facing a major legal battle with the U.S. government and potential antitrust scrutiny overseas. Additionally, the company is focusing on generative artificial intelligence and preparing for a busy holiday shopping season.
Spending on generative AI solutions, which includes software, hardware, and IT/business services, is predicted to reach $143 billion by 2027, with enterprises investing nearly $16 billion in 2023 alone, according to a new report by International Data Corporation (IDC). This represents a compound annual growth rate of 73.3% over the 2023-2027 forecast period and demonstrates that generative AI is becoming a transformative technology with significant business impact.
IBM and Amazon Web Services (AWS) are expanding their partnership to train 10,000 consultants in generative AI by the end of 2024 and deliver joint solutions and services to help clients integrate AI into their business and IT operations. The companies will focus on solutions such as contact center modernization, platform services, and supply chain ensemble, and will also integrate AWS generative AI services into IBM Consulting Cloud Accelerator. Additionally, IBM plans to make watsonx.data, watsonx.ai, and watsonx.governance available on AWS by 2024.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is a subset of AI that uses machine learning to generate new data, designs, or models based on existing data, offering streamlined processes and valuable insights for various engineering disciplines.
Amazon is well positioned to benefit from AI due to its extensive use of AI technology, its optionality for developing new AI products, and its affordable stock price.