New york: Amazon on Tuesday unveiled its latest series of connected products, each equipped with enhanced artificial intelligence capabilities that aim to make interactions with users more frequent and seamless. Nearly two decades after the debut of the Kindle e-reader, the Seattle-based online retail giant now offers a comprehensive lineup of connected devices, including the Echo smart speaker, Ring doorbell, and Fire TV.
According to Lao News Agency, Amazon’s current focus is on multiplying the capabilities of these devices through AI, with an emphasis on integrating it “without getting in the way,” as stated by Panos Panay, head of devices and services, during a presentation in New York. The company had previously made a significant advancement in AI integration with the February launch of Alexa+, an upgraded version of the Alexa voice assistant.
Amazon, along with competitors such as Google, LG, and Samsung, aims to become the central hub of the connected home. However, the sector has faced challenges in realizing the vision of a fully connected home, with consumers often having to choose between competing ecosystems or dealing with technology that does not meet expectations.
In a demonstration video, a user asks, “Alexa, what happened around the house today?” The smart assistant responds with details such as the children walking the dog, a package delivery, and raccoons rummaging through the trash, using images captured by Ring or Blink cameras. Additionally, if a dog runs away, the Ring app can report the incident, enabling other Amazon doorbells in the neighborhood to detect and alert the owner if the animal passes by.
With the Kindle Scribe, users can engage generative AI to provide a book summary or answer questions about a character. For connected televisions, viewers can verbally request to see a specific scene from a favorite movie or receive a summary of a missed football game.
Amazon envisions “ambient” AI, which, according to Panay, “lives naturally in the products themselves.” The ongoing generative AI revolution is unfolding across both software and physical interfaces, with major tech companies vying to establish which product will dominate, whether it be smartphones, smart glasses, earbuds, or speakers. Meanwhile, OpenAI is developing a new type of device, Meta is focusing on glasses, and Apple is concentrating on earbuds.