Amazon Alexa is getting a generative AI upgrade later this month - Related to easier, create, whatsapp, launch, ‘half
Amazon Alexa is getting a generative AI upgrade later this month
Amazon was an early mover in the “digital assistant” field with Alexa, which was backed by cheap but capable hardware – smart speakers, smart displays and plenty of accessories for them. But it has let Alexa stagnate for several years now, both in terms of functions and profitability.
Now, Amazon will leverage the massive improvements that generative AI has brought to the table to make Alexa smarter. This will be done in partnership with Anthropic, makers of the Claude AI, (Amazon has invested $8 billion in Anthropic).
A key upgrade in the new Alexa will be the ability to handle multiple prompts – the current version is mostly limited to simple one-off commands. It will also remember your preferences, which will come in handy when you ask it to play music or recommend a restaurant.
As an example of the multi-prompt capability, people familiar with the tech noted that you can ask new Alexa to order you a burger then tell it to change the ingredients before the order is sent out. The generative AI model should also be able to act as an agent – meaning that it can act on behalf of the user without the user having to hold its hand the entire time.
It probably won’t be called “New Alexa”, by the way. Internally, the improved variant has been referred to as “Banyan” and “Remarkable Alexa”, though it’s not clear whether either of those will be the market name. “Classic Alexa” will remain available and it will be free, though Amazon has ceased development of new aspects for it.
Insiders investigation that Amazon executives will meet on February 14 to decide how to proceed. If they give the green light, an event will be held on February 26, which will focus on Alexa. The event will feature Panos Panay of Microsoft Surface and Windows 11 fame.
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Meta to launch ‘half a dozen’ new AI wearables in 2025
A leaked memo from Meta reveals the enterprise’s plans to launch quite a few new wearable products in 2025, presumably largely focusing on glasses and headsets.
As obtained by Business Insider, a memo from Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth offers a hint into the organization’s plans for hardware in 2025. The memo, shared as a post on Meta’s internal forum as a post titled “2025: The Year of Greatness,” reveals that 2024 was Meta’s “most successful year to date” around hardware devices.
Bosworth explains that Meta will be “pushing our advantage” with the launch of “half a dozen” new AI wearables in 2025. The “advantage” referred to likely relates back to Meta’s successful Ray-Ban smart glasses as well as the Meta Quest series.
Next year is going to be the most critical year in my 8 years at Reality Labs. We have the best portfolio of products we’ve ever had in market and are pushing our advantage by launching half a dozen more AI powered wearables. We need to drive sales, retention, and engagement across the board but especially in MR. And Horizon Worlds on mobile absolutely has to break out for our long term plans to have a chance. If you don’t feel the weight of history on you then you aren’t paying attention. This year likely determines whether this entire effort will go down as the work of visionaries or a legendary misadventure.
It’s been reported that Meta will be launching a new pair of Ray-Ban smart glasses in 2025 with a built-in display, and there’s also the ongoing rumor that a pair of earbuds with a built-in camera could be coming as well.
Meta will also face bigger competition in 2025, as Google’s Android XR platform hopes to usher in a new wave of XR products, including glasses with a display.
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WhatsApp is making it easier to create communities
WhatsApp's never-ending feature additions continue. Spotted in the latest beta release for Android, which went out today to those enrolled in the WhatsApp beta testing group in the Play Store, is yet another new feature.
This one is a small quality of life improvement, meant to make it easier to create communities. Once this graduates from beta and rolls out to everyone, you'll be able to create a new community from the chats tab, by just hitting the hamburger (three dots) button at the top right and then selecting New community.
Hitting that button can also take you to the creation of a new group, to your starred messages, or to Settings, as you can see in the screenshot above. Regarding Community creation, this addition basically saves you one tap, since you no longer need to first go to the Communities tab to create a new one.
The reason for this could be the fact that the Communities tab will be replaced by a new tab dedicated to AI chatbots, because it's 2025 and you can't ever be allowed to escape AI chatbots. So if the Communities tab goes away, then this will be more than just a small improvement.
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Market Impact Analysis
Market Growth Trend
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.3% | 8.8% | 9.3% | 10.3% | 10.8% | 11.2% | 11.3% |
Quarterly Growth Rate
| Q1 2024 | Q2 2024 | Q3 2024 | Q4 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10.6% | 10.8% | 11.1% | 11.3% |
Market Segments and Growth Drivers
| Segment | Market Share | Growth Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Smartphones | 42% | 8.7% |
| Mobile Applications | 26% | 14.5% |
| Mobile Infrastructure | 17% | 12.8% |
| Wearables | 11% | 18.9% |
| Other Mobile Tech | 4% | 9.4% |
Technology Maturity Curve
Different technologies within the ecosystem are at varying stages of maturity:
Competitive Landscape Analysis
| Company | Market Share |
|---|---|
| Apple | 24.3% |
| Samsung | 22.7% |
| Huawei | 14.2% |
| Xiaomi | 11.8% |
| Google Pixel | 5.4% |
Future Outlook and Predictions
The Ai and Amazon: Latest Developments landscape is evolving rapidly, driven by technological advancements, changing threat vectors, and shifting business requirements. Based on current trends and expert analyses, we can anticipate several significant developments across different time horizons:
Year-by-Year Technology Evolution
Based on current trajectory and expert analyses, we can project the following development timeline:
Technology Maturity Curve
Different technologies within the ecosystem are at varying stages of maturity, influencing adoption timelines and investment priorities:
Innovation Trigger
- Generative AI for specialized domains
- Blockchain for supply chain verification
Peak of Inflated Expectations
- Digital twins for business processes
- Quantum-resistant cryptography
Trough of Disillusionment
- Consumer AR/VR applications
- General-purpose blockchain
Slope of Enlightenment
- AI-driven analytics
- Edge computing
Plateau of Productivity
- Cloud infrastructure
- Mobile applications
Technology Evolution Timeline
- Technology adoption accelerating across industries
- digital transformation initiatives becoming mainstream
- Significant transformation of business processes through advanced technologies
- new digital business models emerging
- Fundamental shifts in how technology integrates with business and society
- emergence of new technology paradigms
Expert Perspectives
Leading experts in the mobile tech sector provide diverse perspectives on how the landscape will evolve over the coming years:
"Technology transformation will continue to accelerate, creating both challenges and opportunities."
— Industry Expert
"Organizations must balance innovation with practical implementation to achieve meaningful results."
— Technology Analyst
"The most successful adopters will focus on business outcomes rather than technology for its own sake."
— Research Director
Areas of Expert Consensus
- Acceleration of Innovation: The pace of technological evolution will continue to increase
- Practical Integration: Focus will shift from proof-of-concept to operational deployment
- Human-Technology Partnership: Most effective implementations will optimize human-machine collaboration
- Regulatory Influence: Regulatory frameworks will increasingly shape technology development
Short-Term Outlook (1-2 Years)
In the immediate future, organizations will focus on implementing and optimizing currently available technologies to address pressing mobile tech challenges:
- Technology adoption accelerating across industries
- digital transformation initiatives becoming mainstream
These developments will be characterized by incremental improvements to existing frameworks rather than revolutionary changes, with emphasis on practical deployment and measurable outcomes.
Mid-Term Outlook (3-5 Years)
As technologies mature and organizations adapt, more substantial transformations will emerge in how security is approached and implemented:
- Significant transformation of business processes through advanced technologies
- new digital business models emerging
This period will see significant changes in security architecture and operational models, with increasing automation and integration between previously siloed security functions. Organizations will shift from reactive to proactive security postures.
Long-Term Outlook (5+ Years)
Looking further ahead, more fundamental shifts will reshape how cybersecurity is conceptualized and implemented across digital ecosystems:
- Fundamental shifts in how technology integrates with business and society
- emergence of new technology paradigms
These long-term developments will likely require significant technical breakthroughs, new regulatory frameworks, and evolution in how organizations approach security as a fundamental business function rather than a technical discipline.
Key Risk Factors and Uncertainties
Several critical factors could significantly impact the trajectory of mobile tech evolution:
Organizations should monitor these factors closely and develop contingency strategies to mitigate potential negative impacts on technology implementation timelines.
Alternative Future Scenarios
The evolution of technology can follow different paths depending on various factors including regulatory developments, investment trends, technological breakthroughs, and market adoption. We analyze three potential scenarios:
Optimistic Scenario
Rapid adoption of advanced technologies with significant business impact
Key Drivers: Supportive regulatory environment, significant research breakthroughs, strong market incentives, and rapid user adoption.
Probability: 25-30%
Base Case Scenario
Measured implementation with incremental improvements
Key Drivers: Balanced regulatory approach, steady technological progress, and selective implementation based on clear ROI.
Probability: 50-60%
Conservative Scenario
Technical and organizational barriers limiting effective adoption
Key Drivers: Restrictive regulations, technical limitations, implementation challenges, and risk-averse organizational cultures.
Probability: 15-20%
Scenario Comparison Matrix
| Factor | Optimistic | Base Case | Conservative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Implementation Timeline | Accelerated | Steady | Delayed |
| Market Adoption | Widespread | Selective | Limited |
| Technology Evolution | Rapid | Progressive | Incremental |
| Regulatory Environment | Supportive | Balanced | Restrictive |
| Business Impact | Transformative | Significant | Modest |
Transformational Impact
Technology becoming increasingly embedded in all aspects of business operations. This evolution will necessitate significant changes in organizational structures, talent development, and strategic planning processes.
The convergence of multiple technological trends—including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and ubiquitous connectivity—will create both unprecedented security challenges and innovative defensive capabilities.
Implementation Challenges
Technical complexity and organizational readiness remain key challenges. Organizations will need to develop comprehensive change management strategies to successfully navigate these transitions.
Regulatory uncertainty, particularly around emerging technologies like AI in security applications, will require flexible security architectures that can adapt to evolving compliance requirements.
Key Innovations to Watch
Artificial intelligence, distributed systems, and automation technologies leading innovation. Organizations should monitor these developments closely to maintain competitive advantages and effective security postures.
Strategic investments in research partnerships, technology pilots, and talent development will position forward-thinking organizations to leverage these innovations early in their development cycle.
Technical Glossary
Key technical terms and definitions to help understand the technologies discussed in this article.
Understanding the following technical concepts is essential for grasping the full implications of the technologies discussed in this article. These definitions provide context for both technical and non-technical readers.
platform intermediate
wearable intermediate
5G beginner
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