Amazon plans to make you pay for Alexa for better AI

The new version of Alexa will launch in mid-2024. (Amazon)

Amazon, the well-known online sales company, has started to change the way it does business by trying to increase profits from its products and services.

A clear example of this is that, at the end of January, its streaming service, Prime Video, will begin including advertisements in some countries. The only option to not see these ads will be to pay extra.

It looks like Amazon plans to do something similar with its Alexa virtual assistant. As recently emerged, the American company is thinking of offering a paid version of Alexa.

A report from Business Insider claims that Amazon is working on a paid variant of Alexa, which would be called “Alexa Plus”.

This version would use more advanced and customizable artificial intelligence technology, called “Remarkable Alexa”, which has already been tested with 15,000 customers.

Alexa is a virtual assistant developed by Amazon. (Amazon)

However, the same report notes that this new version of Alexa still doesn’t fully satisfy Amazon executives. Tests so far show that this advanced version of the personal assistant sometimes provides inaccurate information.

People familiar with the situation at Amazon told the media that “Remarkable Alexa,” while quite competent at holding a conversation and sharing information, still has problems, such as giving responses that are longer than necessary or not completely accurate.

Additionally, you need to improve how you handle simultaneous customer requests, such as turning on the light and listening to your favorite music at the same time.

In any case, it is essential for Amazon that its virtual assistant generates money to continue its development. A company employee clearly stated that if Alexa doesn’t produce revenue, its future could be at risk.

Echo Dot is a smart speaker created by Amazon that incorporates the Alexa virtual assistant. (Amazon)

The report also revealed that the paid version of Alexa, “Alexa Plus”, is scheduled to launch on June 30, 2024.

In the coming months, Amazon is expected to provide more details on this new version of Alexa, including how it will be priced in different parts of the world.

Amazon recently implemented the use of artificial intelligence to create summaries of its customer reviews, aiming to provide users with a complete and clear view of the products for sale on its massive online commerce platform.

However, the current review and rating system already has problems with fraud and manipulation, raising concerns about the veracity of AI-generated summaries.

Revisions to the AI ​​started rolling out last year. (Amazon)

This takes into account the fact that these models are not perfect and often tend to hallucinate while preparing texts.

Although the tool has been modified since its launch last year, the accuracy of the results offered with this technology is still a matter of debate and there are already concerns about the potential dehumanization of content and the creation of unclear descriptions.

This new generative AI technology is under scrutiny from some marketers and experts who point out that it unbalancedly highlights critical comments in product summaries.

The AI ​​reviews have generated a wave of skepticism among marketers. (Infobae illustrative image)

Reported cases include mischaracterizations, such as referring to an inversion table to relieve back pain as a “desk” and highlighting fringe negative opinions. This has created unease among sellers, who depend on positive feedback.

In some cases, AI reviews have drawn incorrect conclusions about products based on a very small sample of negative reviews.

For example, a board game called Brass Birmingham was rated as difficult to play, even though less than 1% of comments criticized it. Similarly, complaints about the smell of tennis balls were highlighted, despite only seven of the more than 4,300 reviews being negative on this aspect.

2024-01-20 20:26:52
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