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The generative AI future will not be free
  + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com   time to read: +6 min
Our paid AI futureToday, we're at the start of a similarly exciting new technology wave with generative AI. Even Google, the master of free online services, is considering paid subscriptions for some of its new AI offerings. So, why will generative AI offerings be paid from the start? One possible answer is that ads may not work as well in this new generative AI future. Charging for new generative AI services is one way to create new earnings.
Persons: , Chris Anderson, Stephen Colbert, Colbert, Alexa, Insider's Eugene Kim, Sundar Pichai, Bard chatbot, Oren Etzioni, Dave Limp, Etzioni, Goldman Sachs, Goldman Organizations: Service, Business, Facebook, YouTube, Google, Engadget, Alexa, Big Tech, Apple, Microsoft, Meta Locations: Silicon, we're
The team is working towards a June 30 launch deadline, and has been testing the underlying voice technology, dubbed "Remarkable Alexa," with 15,000 external customers, these people said. Internally, however, Amazon isn't satisfied with the performance of the new Remarkable Alexa yet. But the new Remarkable Alexa follows a more centralized structure, where language understanding and response generation use a single language model. The Classic Alexa team, for example, wants to protect their work by insisting on using what they built for the old Alexa, one of the people said. In addition to the subscription-based Alexa, Amazon is also working on a new Alexa product that can be used within a web browser, people familiar with the project told BI.
Persons: Alexa, Dave Limp, Rohit Prasad Organizations: Business, Alexa, Google, Apple, Intelligence, Amazon, Alexa Plus, Reuters
The logo of Amazon is seen at the company logistics center in Lauwin-Planque, northern France, January 5, 2023. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBRUSSELS, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Amazon (AMZN.O) is set to win unconditional EU antitrust approval for its $1.4 billion acquisition of robot vacuum maker iRobot (IRBT.O), three people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The Commission, which is due to decide on the deal by Feb. 14, declined to comment. The deal announced in August would add iRobot's Roomba robot vacuum to U.S. online retail giant Amazon's portfolio of smart devices, includes the Alexa voice assistant, smart thermostats, security devices and wall-mounted smart displays. Reporting by Foo Yun Chee Editing by Mark Potter and David GoodmanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Persons: Pascal, Foo Yun, Mark Potter, David Goodman Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Big Tech, European Commission, Amazon, Thomson Locations: Lauwin, France, Rights BRUSSELS
The S&P 500 (.SPX), the Nasdaq (.IXIC) and the Dow (.DJI) registered their third straight week of gains. For the week, the S&P 500 added 2.2% while the Nasdaq composite rose 2.4% and the Dow climbed 1.9%. Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., November 15, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid Acquire Licensing RightsEnergy, finishing up 2.1%, was the biggest percentage gainer among the 11 major S&P 500 sectors as oil prices settled up more than 4%. The S&P 500 posted 18 new 52-week highs and 1 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 55 new highs and 97 new lows.
Persons: Michael Barr, Mary Daly, Susan Collins, Robert Phipps, Per Stirling's Phipps, Dow, Jack McIntyre, Brendan McDermid, Russell, Rick Wilmer, Sinéad Carew, Shristi, Maju Samuel, Pooja Desai, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Dow, Nasdaq, Federal, San Francisco Fed, Boston Fed, Applied Materials, U.S . Justice, Stirling, Dow Jones, Brandywine Global, Traders, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Rights Energy, Technology, Microsoft, Ross Stores, Old Navy, ChargePoint Holdings, NYSE, Thomson Locations: U.S, China, Austin Texas, Philadelphia, New York City, New York, Bengaluru
REUTERS/Steve Marcus/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 17 (Reuters) - Amazon.com (AMZN.O) on Friday announced it is trimming jobs at its Alexa voice assistant unit, citing shifting business priorities and a greater focus on generative artificial intelligence. Many companies are shifting resources to generative AI, which can create software code and lengthy text responses from short prompts. Alexa is a voice assistant that can be used to set timers, ask search queries, play music, or as a home automation hub. In particular, people familiar with the matter pointed to the Alexa voice assistant, now nearly a decade old, as having failed to keep pace in the age of generative artificial intelligence. The Seattle-based online retailer's voice assistant products compete with offerings from Alphabet (GOOGL.O) and Apple (AAPL.O).
Persons: Steve Marcus, Daniel Rausch, Panos Panay, David Limp, Jeff Bezos, Rausch, Greg Bensinger, Kenneth Li, Chizu Nomiyama, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, Alexa, Fire, Reuters, Devices, Microsoft, Amazon, Origin, Echo, Amazon.com, Apple, Thomson Locations: Las Vegas , Nevada, U.S, Panay, Seattle, San Francisco
Amazon to sell Hyundai vehicles online starting in 2024
  + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +1 min
A Hyundai Elantra N is displayed at the Auto Shanghai show, in Shanghai, China April 18, 2023. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLOS ANGELES, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Amazon (AMZN.O) will begin selling Hyundai (005380.KS) vehicles online in the U.S. starting next year, the two companies said on Thursday. Customers will be able to shop for, equip and buy a car at Amazon.com and schedule delivery through a local Hyundai dealer, the companies said. Hyundai set up its first digital showroom on Amazon in 2018. The new agreement also will enable buyers of new Hyundai vehicles in 2025 to access Amazon's Alexa voice assistant from their cars.
Persons: Aly, , Jay Chang, Paul Lienert, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Hyundai, Auto, REUTERS, Amazon.com, Los Angeles Auto, Thomson Locations: Auto Shanghai, Shanghai, China, KS, U.S, Detroit
Soon you’ll be able to buy a Hyundai on Amazon
  + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com   time to read: +3 min
People will be able to shop for Hyundai vehicles on Amazon through an agreement with the South Korean automaker. Laws in most US states protect auto dealerships from automakers who might want to sell directly to consumers. Amazon customers will be able to search dealership inventories through the Amazon website, see pricing for vehicles, and click a button to initiate a purchase. This arrangement was announced as part of a package of deals between Hyundai and Amazon, including that Amazon will provide data storage for Hyundai and that future Hyundai models will include the Alexa voice assistant. Hyundai dealers won’t have to participate in the program, but can opt-in.
Persons: you’ve, Tesla, “ It’s, , Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds.com, Caldwell, Jose Muñoz, Mike Sullivan, weren’t, “ I’ve, ” Sullivan Organizations: CNN, Hyundai, South Korean, Hyundai Santa Fe, Edmunds.com, Los Angeles Auto Show, Hyundai Santa Monica Locations: Hyundai Santa
Amazon next year will allow auto dealers to sell cars through its site, starting with South Korean automaker Hyundai, the company said Thursday. Beginning in 2024, Amazon will let shoppers purchase a new car online, then pick it up or have it delivered by their local dealership. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said the partnership with Hyundai will change "the ease with which customers can buy vehicles online." Shares of used car dealers such as Carmax and Carvana as well as the country's largest publicly traded new car dealers Lithia Motors and AutoNation fell following the announcement. Tesla and other electric vehicle startups such as Rivian have developed workarounds in many states to sell vehicles directly online to consumers.
Persons: Andy Jassy, Alexa, AutoNation Organizations: Amazon, South, Hyundai, Consumers, Lithia Motors, CNBC PRO Locations: Amazon, Michigan
Astro for Business is aimed at retailers, manufacturers, and other industries as a security guard that can patrol for break-ins and other threats. Amazon has a new job for its Astro robot: A roving security guard in stores to detect break-ins and other threats. Astro for Business is launching only in the U.S. to start, and it comes at a steep price point of $2,349.99. Amazon is also offering a suite of security products in tandem with Astro for Business for an added fee, such as Ring Protect Pro, which can link Astro to Ring sensors and motion detectors. A virtual security guard service allows Astro to notify remote security centers of a potential threat, such as an unrecognized person, breaking glass or smoke.
Persons: Anthony Robson Organizations: Astro, Business, Amazon, Amazon Astro, National Retail Federation, CNBC Locations: U.S
Over half of employees (54%) say they have no idea how their company is using AI, according to a new survey conducted by UKG, a human resources and workforce technology company. That's despite the fact that the majority of C-suite leaders (78%) say that their company is using artificial intelligence today, according to UKG. Employees should be worried: 68% of C-suite respondents said their company has made AI decisions that are not in employees' best interests. In fact, executives that responded to the survey estimated that 56% of their workforce is directly using AI to automate or augment job tasks. Meanwhile, among workers already transparently using AI, 75% say it makes them more efficient, productive, and accurate.
Persons: Al Drago, UKG, Hugo Sarrazin, Dan Schawbel Organizations: Amazon Devices, Amazon.com Inc, Bloomberg, Getty, Workplace Intelligence, UKG Locations: Arlington , Virginia, UKG
Did AI help in the process of convincing you to spend? We do know for sure that getting a leg up on the competition is getting easier for e-commerce platform sellers through the latest AI. Amazon, for example, recently rolled out a generative AI tool to help sellers write more robust and effective product descriptions. Here's what sellers need to know about using AI to sell more effectively. Customers will find more complete product information, as the new technology will help sellers provide richer information with less effort," the company stated.
Persons: Al Drago, Chris Jones, Greg Mercer, Mercer, Sellers Organizations: Amazon Devices, Amazon.com Inc, Bloomberg, Getty, Amazon Prime, New York Times, Meta, Business, Scout Locations: Arlington , Virginia
"Project Nile is a confidential initiative wherein we're building a conversational shopping agent for Retail customers," one internal document explained. Wearing that "I love AI" t-shirt, Sirosh, VP of Amazon Search and Alexa Shopping, introduced Project Nile as a "super confidential" project. Project Nile isn't the only move Amazon has made in the popular generative AI space. For Amazon's retail side, Project Nile is one of the most important projects. Sirosh has told his team he's "staffing up very rapidly" as Project Nile is the "absolute top priority."
Persons: Joseph Sirosh, Sirosh, Stephen Lam, It's, they're, Andy Jassy, Doug Herrington, Jassy, Rohit Prasad, ChatGPT, Microsoft's Bing, Google's Bard Organizations: Amazon, Microsoft, Retail, Amazon Search, Alexa, Nile, ChatGPT, Google Locations: Anthropic, OpenAI
Kevin Hodges, a partner at law firm Williams & Connolly, was the first member of Amazon's defense team identified in a court document in the case. Amazon General Counsel David Zapolsky, a 24-year veteran of the company's legal department, can turn to a stable of top outside law firms that already represent it. Thomas Barnett, co-chair of the firm’s antitrust practice and a former senior Justice Department official, was involved in the effort. A Covington spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on whether the firm is defending Amazon in the FTC antitrust case. Amazon has also turned to U.S. law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison to navigate government scrutiny.
Persons: Jim Vondruska, Kevin Hodges, Williams, Connolly, Hodges, John Schmidtlein, David Zapolsky, Lina Khan, Thomas Barnett, Covington, Paul, Weiss, Garrison, Paul Weiss, Andrew Goudsward, Mike Scarcella, David Bario, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Amazon Logistics, REUTERS, U.S . Federal Trade, Amazon.com, Amazon, Williams, U.S . Justice, Microsoft, BP, Big Tech, Alphabet's, Google, FTC, Burling, Department, D.C, Covington, Thomson Locations: Chicago . Illinois, U.S, WASHINGTON, Washington, Mexico, Covington, Rifkind, Wharton
CNN —You can now speak aloud to ChatGPT and hear the artificial intelligence-powered chatbot talk back. OpenAI, the startup behind the wildly-popular chatbot, announced Monday that it is rolling out new features including the ability to let users engage in a back-and-forth voice conversation with ChatGPT. The updates from OpenAI come amid an ongoing AI arms race within the tech sector, initially spurred by the public launch of ChatGPT late last year. Google last week announced a series of updates to its ChatGPT competitor Bard. Also last week, Amazon said it was bringing a generative AI-powered update to its Alexa voice assistant.
Persons: ChatGPT, OpenAI, Amazon’s Alexa, Siri, Larry, , Bard Organizations: CNN, Amazon’s, OpenAI, ChatGPT’s, Enterprise, Google
Limp joins Blue Origin at a key phase of the company's multiple space projects. Earlier this year Blue Origin won a $3.4 billion NASA contract to build a lunar lander for the agency's astronauts. However, Blue Origin has since hired aggressively. Read Bezos' message to Blue Origin employees on Monday:I'm excited to share that Dave Limp will join Blue starting December 4th as CEO, replacing Bob, who has elected to step aside on January 2. JeffRead Smith's message to Blue Origin employees:Team Blue, It's been about six years since I joined Blue Origin.
Persons: Limp, Shepard, Smith, Panos Panay, Bezos, Alexa, Limp's, Andy Jassy, Jeff Bezos, Blue, Bob Smith, Origin's, Glenn, , Read, Dave Limp, Bob, I'd, we've, We've, I've, Dave, Jeff Read, It's, Jeff, I'm, Ferociter, Dave Limp's Organizations: Amazon, Alexa, CNBC, NASA, Blue Origin, Bloomberg, Microsoft, Billionaire, Blue Origin's, Origin, Honeywell, Shepard, Pentagon, U.S . Space Force, Elon, SpaceX, Blue, Amazon Devices, Services, Apple Locations: Van Horn , Texas, U.S, Alabama, Florida, California , Arizona, Colorado, Kent
Amazon introduced a "smarter and more conversational" version of its Alexa voice assistant that the company hopes will bolster its position in the tech industry's artificial intelligence race. In his final keynote address at the event on Wednesday, Amazon's devices chief Dave Limp showed off a demo of an updated Alexa that's freshly equipped with features powered by generative AI. From an event space at its new second headquarters in northern Virginia, Amazon showed a montage in which Alexa users were seen asking an Echo smart speaker for information such as the "best dates to travel to Puerto Rico." Similar to ChatGPT or other generative AI applications, Alexa will be able to compose messages for users and send them on their behalf. As an example, Amazon showed an invitation that Alexa wrote to a friend, asking the person to come over for a football game.
Persons: Dave Limp, Limp, Alexa Organizations: Amazon.com Inc, Amazon Devices, Amazon, Alexa, Echo Locations: Arlington , Virginia, Virginia, Puerto Rico
It will also be able to compose and recite poems, Amazon showed at the company's annual product launch in Arlington, Virginia. At the event, Amazon also introduced refreshed versions of children's Fire tablets, a soundbar for televisions and new search capabilities on the FireTV service to find free content. Among the new devices Amazon announced is the $180 Echo Hub wall-mounted touchscreen for controlling gadgets throughout the home. Amazon also showed off a new feature for its Alexa app that can map out internet-connected devices throughout a user's home for easier control. Additional announcements included updates to the Echo Frames eyeglasses, with Alexa embedded, and refreshed versions of its Blink outdoor security cameras and Eero Wi-Fi extenders.
Persons: Bard, Alexa, longform, Dave Limp, Limp, Eero, Greg Bensinger, Richard Chang Organizations: Amazon.com Inc, Wednesday, Amazon, Reuters, Alexa, Thomson Locations: Arlington , Virginia, Seattle
Amazon hopes consumers will install Alexa-enabled devices in more rooms of their homes and become accustomed to using the system throughout the day, the sources said. Amazon has said its devices and services business is not profitable, without providing figures. Amazon is set to name as successor Microsoft's Panos Panay who oversaw development of the Surface, according to Bloomberg. Alexa employees were included in rounds of layoffs beginning last year resulting in 27,000 job cuts across Amazon. For years, Amazon has said it can sell devices for close to production cost and see a profit through services offered on them.
Persons: Jeff Bezos, Dave Limp, Alexa, Kinley Pearsall, Amazon, hasn’t, , , Avi Greengart, Limp, Microsoft's Panos Panay, Gregg Zehr, Tom Taylor, Ken Washington, Andy Jassy, Siri, That’s, Bruno Borges, I‘m, Greg Bensinger, Ken Li, Claudia Parsons Organizations: FRANCISCO, Reuters, Alexa, Amazon, Devices, Google, Microsoft, Echo, , Bloomberg, Astro, Medtronic, Intelligence, Amazon.com, Lightform, Thomson Locations: Amazon’s, Lab126, Alphabet’s, Vancouver, Canada
The list of the best Fitbit devices is headed up by two distinct flagship wearables: the Versa 4 and the Sense 2. Fitbit Versa 4 The Fitbit Versa 4 disappoints as a fourth-generation smartwatch as it lacks third-party app support, has issues with fitness tracking, and doesn’t allow for music storage. Fitbit Sense 2 vs. Fitbit Versa 4: Smartwatch performanceOne of the main nitpicks I have with these watches is their disappointing lack of smartwatch capability. Fitbit Sense 2 vs. Fitbit Versa 4: Health and fitness trackingFitness tracking features are available on both devices, but the Sense 2 seems to be more reliable. Fitbit Sense 2 vs. Fitbit Versa 4: Battery lifePerhaps the best feature native to both the Sense 2 and the Versa 4 is their battery life, which lasts roughly six days depending on how it's used.
Persons: Rick Stella, they're, There's, Grey, That's Organizations: iOS Battery, Alexa, Google, Apple Watch, Versa
Limp regularly appeared at Amazon hardware events, which are typically held each fall but sometimes occur more than once a year, to announce new products. Amazon said Limp would remain in his role for the next few months and the company will announce his successor in the coming weeks. Amazon is set to unveil new products at its annual event Sept. 20, hosted at the company's Northern Virginia headquarters, known as HQ2. "It pains me to have to deliver this news as we know we will lose talented Amazonians from the Devices & Services org as a result." In January, Limp said Amazon remains "fully committed" to the Alexa unit despite the job cuts in the division.
Persons: David Limp, Amazon's, Limp, Andy Jassy, Jassy, , Annie Palmer Organizations: Amazon.com Inc, Amazon, CNBC, Wall Street, Devices, Services Locations: Seattle, Virginia
Amazon has agreed to change how it handles children's data recorded by Alexa. Under a settlement, the company will now delete all data, including voice recordings, when requested. Amazon will also have to flag the settlement on its "Parent Dashboard," where adults can set limits on children's use of Amazon services. The division is also now responsible for Amazon having to pay the US Treasury Department a $25 million civil penalty. "For too long, Amazon has treated children's sensitive data as its own property," Golin said in a statement provided to Insider.
Persons: Tessa M, Gorman, Josh Golin, Golin, Biden, Lina M, Khan, Suzanne Bernstein, Bernstein Organizations: Amazon, Alexa, Federal Trade Commission, COPPA, US Treasury Department, FTC, Department of Justice, Trump, Privacy, Big Tech Locations: Washington
Companies Amazon.com Inc FollowWASHINGTON, July 19 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday that Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) and a subsidiary agreed to a permanent injunction and to pay a $25 million civil penalty as part of a settlement to resolve alleged violations of a children's privacy law relating to its Alexa voice assistant. Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Persons: Kanishka Singh, Leslie Adler Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S . Justice, Inc, Thomson Locations: Washington
The 60+ best Prime Day deals that are still liveDeal icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt. While we've seen it for less in the past year, this is still a great deal on our top mattress. On July 11 of Prime Day 2023, this deal matches the lowest price Amazon offers on this kit. Great Price Apple MagSafe Charger This Prime Day sale is one of the best discounts we've seen on the official MagSafe charger. Lightning Deal Vitamix Explorian E310 Blender For Prime Day, the Vitamix Explorian Blender, Professional-Grade, 64 oz.
Persons: AirPods, Price, Price Roku, Max, it's, wicks, Price Apple, Fryer, fryer, Price Dyson, Dyson, Hoover, It's, Price Dell, Price LG, we've, You'll, Price Casper, Casper, Gray Organizations: Amazon Prime, Apple, Amazon, Price Apple, Walmart, OSHA, Prime, Steam, Fire, Price LG, LG, PlayStation, Google, HP, Price Samsung, Samsung, MacBook Air, Asus, Mobile, Fujifilm Locations: Birch, Sol, Cha Kyusu, Japan
The best Prime Day deals that are still liveDeal icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt. Great Price Casper Nova Hybrid Mattress (Queen) The Casper Nova Hybrid is the best soft mattress and the best mattress for side sleepers that we've tested. On July 11 of Prime Day 2023, this deal matches the lowest price Amazon offers on this kit. Great Price Apple MagSafe Charger This Prime Day sale is one of the best discounts we've seen on the official MagSafe charger. Lightning Deal Vitamix Explorian E310 Blender For Prime Day, the Vitamix Explorian Blender, Professional-Grade, 64 oz.
Persons: AirPods, Price, Price Roku, Max, Price Casper, Casper, it's, wicks, Price Apple, Fryer, fryer, Price Dyson, Dyson, Hoover, It's, Price Dell, Price LG, we've, You'll, Gray Organizations: Amazon Prime, Apple, Amazon, Price Apple, Walmart, OSHA, Prime, Steam, Fire, Price LG, LG, PlayStation, Google, HP, Price Samsung, Samsung, MacBook Air, Asus, Mobile, Lenovo, Gray, Super Nintendo Entertainment, Fujifilm Locations: Siena, Birch, Sol, Cha Kyusu, Japan
Amazon Prime Day 2023 is on to its second day, and you don't have to purchase any big-ticket items to get big savings. Here are the best products you can get for under $25 this Prime Day. Best Prime Day beauty deals under $25Deal icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt. The Prime Day sale is over 25% on this product, making it a great time to buy. $19.54 from Amazon Originally $22.98 Save 15%Best Prime Day tech deals under $25Deal icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt.
Persons: it's, Kit Burt's, Kit, Anastasia Beverly Organizations: Amazon, Prime, frizz
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