Transcript
Chris (0:00)
The next generation of Alexa Alexa is here, the wonderfully creative name notwithstanding. According to an Amazon blog post written by Panopin Hope I'm saying his name right. SVP of Devices and Services Amazon has launched Alexa, its next generation assistant. Powered by generative AI, Alexa is more conversational, smarter and personalized and she helps you in and get things done. Alexa can manage and protect your home, make reservations and help you track, discover and even enjoy new artists, something I know Ann always enjoys doing. She can also help you search, find or buy virtually any item online and make useful suggestions based on your interests. Customers will also be able to access Alexa and a new mobile app that's available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store and a new browser based experience@alexa.com youm can start a conversation with Alexa on your phone or in the car and pick it up on your computer. Alexa remembers the context and can continue the conversation across any of your endpoints. Alexa also, we should note, costs $19.99 per month, but all Amazon prime members will get it for free. And this is the put you on the spot question of the week. Oh God, I'm glad it's you and not me. Here it is. Quote After a flurry of initial advertising and promise, Alexa fizzled in recent years against its touted potential. So with Alexa, are you jumping on the Amazon hype train again? And if not, what are you waiting to see from the AI assistant to prove out its build usefulness?
Ann (1:46)
Well, there's only room for one woman in my house and that's me. And I don't think that it's going to be I'm going to be bringing Alexa in at any given point in time. I, I think really this is however I will say I think this is an important addition to the platform and does make it relevant again. Am I getting on the hype train? No. But I think that you know, for me the problem with Alexa was always like hey, hey Alexa, order more dishwasher detergent. Well that's if it's fine if I'm just repeating the same thing over and over again but I think that's for me it's just it still is not a clean shopping experience. I do think now with, with like language based search and how I think as a, as a customer base we're all going to become more accustomed to searching for things. I do think that this helps because it, it'll now change that one direction of order dishwasher detergent to you know, last time you ordered pods. Do you want to get those again? Or do you want to try a different kind of detergent? Or even like, what could those dishwasher pods have done better? And what would you like me to look for? Like, that can now happen, which I think brings more value to the Alexa plus platform, you know, Or I could ask questions like, is there a better brand for the environment or something. Like, I can sit there and have a conversation and choose the right one that you couldn't do before. So I think that's where, yes, this is better. Alexa plus or Alexa 2.0. But I still, for me, like, I still have Siri on my phone to do things like this. That's with me at all points of time. I'm not doing it, but I also haven't tried it. I think to answer a name question, I would need to actually have one of these interactions with Alexa. So maybe I'll try it at my brother's this weekend and see if, like, see what it's like. But I'm not, I'm not buying it for right now. But, Chris, you, you have an Alexa in your house. You've used it for how long have you had it? Like 10 years or something?