Alexa Is Getting a Major AI Upgrade From Amazon. What We Know So Far

Amazon is expected to announce a major artificial intelligence upgrade for its voice assistant Alexa next week, which could change how we interact with this popular piece of smart home tech. Amazon sent out media invites for a Feb. 26 event in New York City, and Amazon's Devices and Services team lead Panos Panay is scheduled to speak. Panay joined Amazon in 2023 after spending decades at Microsoft, where he helped shape the Surface product line. The event is expected to preview Alexa's long-rumored generative AI voice capabilities, which could significantly enhance its ability to engage in more natural, contextual conversations and complete multistep tasks. If announced, this would mark Alexa's most significant evolution since its debut in 2014. Although Amazon has long been a leader in the AI assistant space, the landscape is rapidly shifting. Companies like OpenAI, Google and Anthropic are rolling out increasingly sophisticated AI assistants capable of multitasking and completing ... Read full article.