Amazon’s AI Ambitions: The Future of Alexa and Beyond
Amazon is reportedly working on a new, more capable version of Alexa, its artificial intelligence assistant. According to sources familiar with the project, the service is set to roll out later this year, with a paid subscription model to offset the cost of the underlying large language model (LLM).
The future of AI assistants
The upcoming paid version of Alexa will reportedly run on an algorithm from the Amazon Titan series of large language models. Introduced last year by the company’s cloud unit, the series comprises three LLMs with varying capabilities and pricing. The most advanced Titan model, Amazon Titan Text Premier, can process prompts that contain up to 32,000 tokens’ worth of information.
Amazon Titan Text Premier
The model includes a RAG, or retrieval-augmented generation, feature that allows it to incorporate information from external applications into prompt responses. On the other end of the price range is Amazon Titan Text Lite, positioned as the Titan series’ entry-level offering, which supports prompts with up to 4,000 tokens and is geared towards relatively simple text processing tasks.
Amazon Titan Text Lite
It’s unclear if Amazon plans to power the next version of Alexa with an existing Titan model or a yet-unannounced future addition to the series. According to reports, the generative AI model that will underpin Alexa costs two cents per query to run. For comparison, generating 1,000 tokens of output with the entry-level Titan Text Lite model costs 100 times less for Amazon Web Services Inc. customers. That suggests the LLM in the upgraded version of Alexa features a significantly more advanced architecture.
The architecture of AI
Amazon will reportedly charge for the AI assistant’s upgraded version to offset the cost of the underlying LLM. According to one of CNBC’s sources, the company is considering asking $20 per month, the price at which OpenAI sells ChatGPT Plus. Another tipster indicated that the Alexa subscription might become available for a “single-digit dollar amount.”
The future of Alexa
The team that develops the AI assistant has reportedly undergone a “massive reorganization” as part of an effort by Amazon to streamline its business operations. It’s believed that many members of the team, which comprises thousands of employees, now focus on developing artificial general intelligence. This is a term for a hypothetical future type of AI that can perform a wide range of tasks with human-like accuracy.
The future of AI
In conclusion, Amazon’s AI ambitions are set to take a significant leap forward with the upcoming paid version of Alexa. With its advanced LLM and RAG feature, the new Alexa is poised to revolutionize the AI assistant landscape. As the company continues to push the boundaries of AI, one thing is clear: the future of AI is bright, and Amazon is leading the charge.
The future of AI
