Amazon: The new Alexa is delayed

More than a year after Amazon announced a smarter, AI-driven Alexa, the world remains eagerly awaiting the product's release. During the company's quarterly conference call, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy did not provide specific details on the release date of the new Alexa. However, he shared insights into the future design of the revamped voice assistant, which is expected to stand out from the competition in the medium term – exactly when remains uncertain. A key feature of the future Alexa will be its ability to take action, according to Jassy. He explained that the next generation of assistants and generative AI applications will not only answer questions or summarize data but will also be able to execute actions independently. In this regard, Jassy speculates on the implementation of so-called AI agents, which not only provide answers but perform tasks autonomously for the user. This could allow Amazon to take a new path, with Alexa not competing in the depth or nuance of response options with competitors like ChatGPT or Perplexity AI, but through the ability to strategically execute priorities on a task list. Nevertheless, Jassy noted that while current AI applications handle large datasets well, they lack the capability to actively act on behalf of customers. Originally, Alexa gained consumer recognition about a decade ago when it was introduced alongside the first Echo Smart Speaker. Since then, Amazon and its partners have sold approximately 500 million Alexa-enabled devices. Currently, according to Jassy, there are "several hundred million active endpoints." However, Amazon was not prepared for the success of ChatGPT and the subsequent AI wave. Technological and structural challenges complicate the timely market launch of the new Alexa, as recently revealed by a Fortune report. According to a new Bloomberg report, some employees have been informed that the deadline for completing the AI-powered Alexa has now been pushed to the year 2025.