Amazon has been centered on bringing generative AI to Alexa for the previous few years, hitting a number of delays in launching new options that the corporate first introduced in September 2023. The delayed Alexa 2.0 appears poised for a 2025 launch, as evidenced by the shock Gadgets and Providers occasion Amazon is internet hosting this week.
Amid rumors of Alexa 2.0 shortcomings, Amazon skipped its 2024 Gadgets and Providers occasion, the place the corporate sometimes proclaims new Alexa options and {hardware} gadgets. Now, the corporate plans to host an Amazon Alexa-themed occasion on Wednesday, the place it’s anticipated to unveil the voice assistant’s generative AI options and eventually put an ETA on its launch.
The occasion will happen on Feb. 26 in New York Metropolis and will probably be Panos Panay’s first since becoming a member of the Gadgets and Providers division after his Microsoft exit. However apart from new Alexa options, Amazon might be making ready to launch different gadgets.
What to anticipate from Amazon’s February 2025 occasion
Generative AI in Alexa
Including generative AI to Alexa is predicted to be the principle occasion. Over the last Gadgets and Providers occasion in 2023, Amazon introduced a gen AI-powered Alexa coming to an Echo gadget close to you. That Alexa would characteristic a extra pure cadence in its replies, may deal with a number of prompts in a session, and would generate content material as an alternative of offering canned solutions to questions. It might additionally characteristic higher customization energy to recollect person preferences (maybe like ChatGPT’s Reminiscence) for extra productive person interactions.
However Amazon stated little concerning the new Alexa after the occasion, with rumors suggesting that the corporate was repeatedly pressured to delay its gen AI launch resulting from poor efficiency. After skipping final 12 months’s occasion, the corporate despatched out invites to an occasion this Wednesday, Feb. 26. The logical conclusion: That is the daybreak of Alexa 2.0 (particularly contemplating that the invites are Alexa-themed).
Whereas Alexa dominates the US marketplace for digital assistants, most popular by two-thirds of People, it is also not too long ago fallen behind different assistants, together with Google and, most not too long ago, Siri. The discharge of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in recent times triggered a tidal wave of generative AI that pushed different digital assistants ashore, whereas Alexa seems to have sunk to the underside of the ocean.
The brand new breed of gen AI-powered digital assistants — ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot powered by OpenAI’s applied sciences, Google Assistant powered by Gemini, and Siri powered by Apple LLMs — have surged forward up to now two years. Whereas their progress has been riddled with obstacles and delays, they’ve all gotten there ultimately — apart from Amazon’s Alexa.
Subscription tiers
Amazon’s Alexa 2.0 is predicted to work behind a subscription service that might vary from $5 to $10 month-to-month. Whereas this has been rumored for a couple of 12 months, Amazon plans to introduce the upgraded Alexa free of charge to a restricted variety of customers.
The “Traditional Alexa” will nonetheless be accessible for customers preferring to not pay the month-to-month price, although it is not identified how lengthy Amazon plans to take care of the present model.
New Echo gadgets
Whereas Amazon skipped its large-scale Gadgets and Providers occasion final 12 months, it nonetheless launched a number of new gadgets from October via December of 2024, together with the biggest Echo Present ever — the 21-inch mannequin. Amazon additionally launched a brand new Echo Present 15, its first-ever colour Kindle, the Kindle Colorsoft, a brand new Kindle Scribe, a Fireplace TV Stick HD, and a new Fireplace HD 8 pill.
Whereas that is already a full lineup of gadgets, Amazon may nonetheless launch some new {hardware} throughout this week’s occasion. Amazon may debut new Echo audio system, like an improved Amazon Echo or Echo Dot, each due for an improve, or a brand new sensible show designed to make the most of the brand new generative AI-powered Alexa.
The summer season of 2024 additionally noticed the launch of the Echo Spot, a brand new sensible speaker with a small display that revives the clock radio.
Fireplace TV upgrades
Whereas a lot of the focus for this Amazon Gadgets and Providers occasion is on Alexa, we may see some Fireplace TV upgrades coming to Amazon’s lineup of sensible TV gadgets, particularly AI-powered updates.
Amazon introduced the Fireplace TV Omni Mini-LED collection of sensible TVs final November, and a brand new Soundbar Plus Sequence and upgraded 4-Sequence. Whereas I am not anticipating a brand new lineup of Fireplace TV panels, I may see Amazon releasing new generative AI capabilities for present Fireplace TVs or revamping its older Fireplace TV Sticks.
