Amazon‘s upcoming improved version of Alexa, known as “Remarkable Alexa,” will be powered by Anthropic’s Claude AI model, according to a Reuters report. This move comes as Amazon’s in-house AI struggled with issues related to language processing and responsiveness.
The new version of Alexa has encountered significant challenges since its announcement last September. Mihail Eric, a former machine learning scientist for Alexa AI, described the division as being “riddled with technical and bureaucratic problems” in a post on X (formerly Twitter). Despite substantial investments, including a $4 billion stake in Anthropic last year, Amazon’s internal AI models proved insufficient for meeting the company’s standards.
Amazon’s AI efforts also face intense competition from advancements in OpenAI’s Advanced Voice Mode for ChatGPT, Google Gemini’s voice chat capabilities, and Siri’s anticipated Apple Intelligence update.
“Amazon uses many different technologies to power Alexa,” Reuters reported Amazon as stating. “When it comes to machine learning models, we start with those built by Amazon, but we have used, and will continue to use, a variety of different models—including Amazon’s Titan and future models, as well as those from partners—to build the best experience for customers.”
The “Remarkable Alexa” is expected to launch in mid-October and will offer a range of new features, including daily AI-generated news summaries, a child-focused chatbot, and enhanced conversational shopping tools. The service may be available through a subscription model, priced between $5 and $10 per month, while the existing “Classic Alexa” will remain a free service.
A demo of the new Alexa will be showcased at Amazon’s annual devices and services event, typically held in September. This update aims to address previous shortcomings and enhance the overall user experience with more advanced AI capabilities.
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