Report: Amazon to Introduce GenAI-Powered Alexa on Feb. 26

Amazon is reportedly set to introduce a new, generative artificial intelligence (AI)-powered version of its Alexa voice assistant.

The company sent out invitations to a Feb. 26 event featuring the head of its devices and services team, Panos Panay, and the event is expected to preview the new Alexa, Reuters reported Wednesday (Feb. 5), citing unnamed sources.

An Amazon spokesperson told Reuters only that the event is “Alexa-focused,” according to the report.

A new Alexa would be the most significant upgrade of the product since its introduction in 2014 and would be the first powered by generative AI, the report said.

The generative AI-powered version of the voice assistant will be able to respond to more than one request at a time, take actions on behalf of users without their direct involvement, and remember their preferences when recommending music or restaurants, per the report.

The new service will be compatible with existing Alexa devices, according to the report.

Amazon plans to offer it to a limited number of users at first, and will continue to offer the current version, the report said.

It was reported in January that Amazon was turning Alexa into an AI agent while working over the past two years to replace the voice assistant’s “brain” with generative AI.

The company was working to clear several technical hurdles before launch, such as “hallucinations” or fabricated answers, response speed and reliability.

An Amazon spokesperson told PYMNTS in January: “Our vision for Alexa is to build the world’s best personal assistant. Generative AI offers a huge opportunity to make Alexa even better for our customers, and we are working hard to enable even more proactive and capable assistance on the over half-a-billion Alexa-enabled devices already in homes around the world.”

PYMNTS Intelligence found in April 2023 that 27% of consumers had used a voice-activated device or speaker in the previous 12 months and that 54% of consumers would prefer voice technology in the future because it is faster than typing or using a touchscreen.

In addition, 22% of Gen Z consumers would be “highly willing” to pay more than $10 a month to use a voice assistant as smart and reliable as a real person, according to “How Consumers Want to Live in the Voice Economy.”