Amazon hopes to onboard around 200 partners by the third year of launching the new Alexa and a paid subscription service for it. The partner companies would become the primary option for handling those specific tasks on the upgraded Alexa. However, Amazon's spokesperson stated that these discussions do not necessarily reflect the final product. The company is also working on re-architecting "the brains of Alexa" to create "the world's best personal assistant," according to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy.
Key takeaways:
- Amazon is planning an AI-powered upgrade for Alexa, with potential partnerships with companies like Uber, Ticketmaster, and Instacart to handle specific tasks such as ride-hailing, grocery shopping, and restaurant reservations.
- The new Alexa aims to be a personalized assistant, capable of handling diverse tasks across different devices, and Amazon hopes to onboard about 200 partners by the third year of launching the new Alexa.
- Despite the potential partnerships, Amazon has faced challenges with the project, including issues like latency and inaccuracy, and the final experience may not reflect the initial ideas discussed during the product development process.
- The success of this new AI-infused assistant is seen as crucial for the future of Alexa, especially after the voice-assistant failed to establish a profitable business model in recent years.