Technology: Amazon announces faster, multitasking Alexa – 09/20/2023 – Tech

Amazon’s virtual assistant was integrated with a language model based on AI (artificial intelligence), also called Alexa, similar to ChatGPT. The announcement was made at the technology giant’s global launch event held this Wednesday (20) in Arlington, in the United States.

Integration with AI will allow Alexa to understand phrases and contexts to deliver more appropriate responses. Furthermore, the assistant will be able to respond to multiple requests simultaneously — today, Alexa responds to one at a time.

The new features aim to make the experience with smart home devices like Alexa more interactive, according to Amazon’s senior vice president of devices and business, Dave Limp. The technology also speeds up the assistant’s responses by 40%, according to Amazon’s announcement.

The virtual assistant update will be released “in the coming months” (no prediction) and only in the US, gradually.

Users of the new Alexa embedded with AI can test the assistant’s new capabilities with the command “Alexa, let’s chat” — in Portuguese, Alexa, let’s talk.

The language model used in developing Alexa, however, focuses on traditional uses of the virtual assistant and should deliver a different experience than interacting with Google’s ChatGPT or Bard, which provide everything from travel itineraries to simple computer programs, he said. Limp to the specialized website Verge.

Still, this new version shakes up the competition between virtual assistants, which haven’t presented any major new features since they hit the market in the 2010s. Alexa’s main competitor is Apple’s Siri.

Artificial intelligence will also allow you to interact with Alexa with just your eyes. Owners of the Echo Show 8 (Alexa with screen) will be able to activate the virtual assistant by looking at the device, without needing the traditional voice: Alexa.

Commands based on glances also serve new accessibility functions, such as selecting music or resources when looking at an icon on the Echo Show 8 screen.

The new Echo Show 8 starts to be available for order on October 25th for prices starting at US$149.99 (R$727.17).

The version with more options, Echo Hub, does not yet have a release date, but will be available in 2023 for US$179.99 (R$872.61), according to Amazon.

In the US, Amazon will also add an emergency option to Alexa. The virtual assistant cannot contact the police directly, but will have a call center for users who pay US$5.99 (R$29) per month. There is no forecast for the resource to be launched in Brazil.

Another option that will only be available in the USA will be the home map, which will allow you to scan the home and control devices remotely through the Amazon smart center screen.

TO BRAZIL

The only Amazon device announced this Wednesday with a scheduled launch in the country is the Fire TV Stick 4k SmartTV converter. The new device is compatible with WiFi 6 and promises up to 30% faster connection.

With this speed, it will be possible to have quality streaming with fluidity, according to Amazon.

The product arrives in Brazil for R$449 from October 27th.

The first Brazilian to become a billionaire with AI models, Daniel Freitas, was also part of the announcements. He left Google to found Character.AI, a startup that recreates historical and fictional characters with artificial intelligence.

Character.AI features are included in Alexa itself. There are profiles of personalities from all over the world, including Brazilians, such as Machado de Assis, Anitta and Neymar, and politicians, such as President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro (PL).