Although everything indicated that Alexa would enjoy its next evolution through the use of artificial intelligence, Amazon is introducing changes to its plans. What we are going to end up finding in the future of Alexa is, without a doubt, very different from what we had imagined.
The majority of technology companies are focusing on AI. It is the trending topic and the technology that could lead to many things changing in the sector. However, Amazon, as we previously mentioned could happen, has decided to change its strategy. And rather than jumping headlong into AI, they’re taking a more classical approach to the next steps their voice assistant will take.
A much more useful assistant
Given the complicated path she had encountered, Alexa seems like she will adopt a traditional approach that, from what we can see, could suit her great. Weeks ago it was mentioned that Alexa was encountering difficulties in reaching its new identity, that evolution with AI that had been talked about so much previously. Now, with Amazon redirecting its interest towards collaboration with large companies, it is confirmed that Alexa’s current objective is very different.
Instead of promoting the integration of advanced AI within Alexa, what Amazon wants to do is improve the use of its assistant functions. That is, they go back to the basics, to what caught the interest of users years ago and which is now going to get a significant improvement. To do this, Amazon is already collaborating with large entities such as Uber, OpenTable or Ticketmaster. What Amazon is looking for is for Alexa to possibly become the definitive assistant, the one that will truly improve your daily life and simplify your work without having to think about it.
Skills powered by Alexa 2.0
All the services we have mentioned already have Alexa skills, so the collaboration does not consist of them developing their own apps for the assistant to use. What they would be doing would be improving their applications and ensuring that the new skills they shape can improve the daily lives of users who take advantage of Alexa. Just as Amazon said at the time, this “Alexa 2.0” will be smarter and more capable of performing all types of functions comfortably. We could order an Uber car with great simplicity, food or buy tickets for events in a faster and simplified way. As far as we can understand, it is not about letting Alexa decide to buy tickets for an event that we might like, but about simplifying the process when we start it by talking to the assistant.
In addition, what is said is that Alexa will have favorite services and apps in which it will manage user requests. For example, if you want to order food, it will use the specific app that is the default and will not complicate the process by giving you options to choose from. Choosing these priority partners is where Amazon will most likely obtain juicy benefits.
It is said that the plan is for Amazon to have about 200 partners involved in this project by the third quarter of next year. The plan sounds good both for the company and for the use of Alexa, but this assistance system with priority skills will mean that those businesses that are not on the list will not provide as much speed or ease for orders. Therefore, if you like to order from the neighborhood pizzeria instead of Telepizza, for example, the process may not be as smooth. In any case, it is something that is still in development and it will take time to see how it ends up definitively.
The interesting thing is that, as we said, Amazon takes a much more classic approach that does not try to reinvent something that already works, but rather they just want to improve it. And it is true that it does not sound bad and that, compared to the general trend in the sector, it is a breath of fresh air. Therefore, the project will have to be followed with interest. At the same time, there is still the question of whether Amazon will end up requiring a subscription payment to use these new features or if everything will be integrated for free. Since there is no longer such advanced AI involved, they may end up eliminating the plan to charge for using the service. We will surely know more about it in the coming months.
