Hey, Alexa, Why Does Amazon AI Flail?
September 5, 2024
This essay is the work of a dumb dinobaby. No smart software required.
Amazon has its work cut out for itself. The company has those pesky third-party vendors shipping “interesting” products to customers and then ignoring complaints. Amazon is on the radar of some legal eagles in the EU and the US. Now the company has found itself in an unusual situation: Its super duper smart software does not work. The fix, if the information in “Gen AI Alexa to Use Anthropic Tech After it Struggled for Words” with Amazon’s” is correct, is to use Anthropic AI technology. Hey, why not? Amazon allegedly invested $5 billion in the company. Maybe that implementation of Google technology will do the trick?
The mother is happy with Alexa’s answers. The weird sounds emitted from the confused device surprise her daughter. Thanks, MSFT Copilot. Good enough.
The write up reports:
Amazon demoed a generative AI version of Alexa in September 2023 and touted it as being more advanced, conversational, and capable, including the ability to do multiple smart home tasks with simpler commands. Gen AI Alexa is expected to come with a subscription fee, as Alexa has reportedly lost Amazon tens of billions of dollars throughout the years. Earlier reports said the updated voice assistant would arrive in June, but Amazon still hasn’t confirmed an official release date.
A year later, Amazon is punting and giving the cash furnace Alexa more brains courtesy of Anthropic. Will the AI wizards working on Amazon’s own AI have a chance to work in one of the Amazon warehouses?
Ars Technica says without a trace of irony:
The previously announced generative AI version of Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant “will be powered primarily by Anthropic’s Claude artificial intelligence models," Reuters reported today. This comes after challenges with using proprietary models, according to the publication, which cited five anonymous people “with direct knowledge of the Alexa strategy.”
Amazon has a desire to convert the money-losing Alexa into a gold mine, or at least a modest one.
This report, if accurate, suggests some interesting sparkles on the Bezos bulldozer’s metal flake paint; to wit:
- The two pizza team approach to technology did not work either for Alexa (the money loser) or the home grown AI money spinner. What other Amazon technologies are falling short of the mark?
- How long will it take to get a money-generating Alexa working and into the hands of customers eager for a better Alexa experience and a monthly or annual subscription for the new Alexa? A year has been lost already, and Alexa users continue to ask for the weather and a timer for cooking broccoli.
- What happens if the product, its integration with smart TV, and the Ring doorbell is like a Pet Rock? The fad has come and gone, replaced by smart watches and mobile phones? The answer: Collectibles!
Why am I questioning Amazon’s technology competency? The recent tie up between Microsoft and Palantir Technologies makes clear that Amazon’s cloud services don’t have the horsepower to pull government sales. When these pieces are shifted around, the resulting puzzle says, “Amazon is flailing to me.” Consider this: AI was beyond the reach of a big money outfit like Amazon. There’s a message in that factoid.
Stephen E Arnold, September 5, 2024
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