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Amazon Alexa
From Wikipedia, the fre encyclopedia
For the defunct subsidiary company of Amazon, see Alexa Internet.
| Developer(s) | Amazon |
|---|---|
| Initial release | November 6, 2014; 9 years ago |
| Operating system | Fire OS 5.0 or later, iOS 11.0 or later[1] Android 4.4 or later |
| Platform | Amazon Echo, Fire OS, iOS, Android, Linux, Windows, Wear OS[citation needed] |
| Available in | English, French, German, Japanese, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi, Arabic |
| Type | Intelligent personal assistant, cloud-based voice service |
| Website | developer.amazon.com/alexa |
Amazon Alexa or Alexa[2] is a virtual assistant technology largely based on a Polish speech synthesizer named Ivona, bought by Amazon in 2013.[3][4] It was first used in the Amazon Echo smart speaker and the Echo Dot, Echo Studio and Amazon Tap speakers developed by Amazon Lab126. It is capable of natural language processing (NLP) for tasks such as voice interaction, music playback, creating to-do lists, setting alarms, streaming podcasts, playing audiobooks, providing weather, traffic, sports, other real-time information and news.[5] Alexa can also control several smart devices as a home automation system. Alexa capabilities may be extended by installing “skills” (additional functionality developed by third-party vendors, in other settings more commonly called apps) such as weather programs and audio features. It performs these tasks using automatic speech recognition, NLP, and other forms of weak AI.[6]
Most devices with Alexa allow users to activate the device using a wake-word[7] (such as Alexa or Amazon); other devices (such as the Amazon mobile app on iOS or Android and Amazon Dash Wand) require the user to click a button to activate Alexa’s listening mode, although, some phones also allow a user to say a command, such as “Alexa” or “Alexa wake”.
As of November 2018, more than 10,000 Amazon employees worked on Alexa and related products.[8] In January 2019, Amazon’s devices team announced that they had sold over 100 million Alexa-enabled devices.[9]
In September 2019, Amazon launched many new devices achieving many records while competing with the world’s smart home industry. The new Echo Studio became the first smart speaker with 360 sound and Dolby sound. Other new devices included an Echo dot with a clock behind the fabric, a new third-generation Amazon Echo, Echo Show 8, a plug-in Echo device, Echo Flex, Alexa built-in wireless earphones, Echo buds, Alexa built-in spectacles, Echo frames, an Alexa built-in Ring, and Echo Loop as well as the Echo Show generation.
History
Alexa was developed out of a predecessor named Ivona which was invented in Poland, inspired by 2001: A Space Odyssey and bought by Amazon in 2013.[10][4] On November 6, 2014; 9 years ago, Amazon announced Alexa alongside the Echo.[11] Alexa was inspired by the computer voice and conversational system on board the Starship Enterprise in science fiction TV series and movies, beginning with Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation.[12]
Amazon developers chose the name Alexa because it has a hard consonant with the X, which helps it be recognized with higher precision. They have said the name is reminiscent of the Library of Alexandria, which was also used by Amazon Alexa Internet for the same reason.[13][14][15] In June 2015, Amazon announced the Alexa Fund, a program that would invest in companies making voice control skills and technologies. The US$200 million fund has invested in companies including Jargon, Ecobee, Orange Chef, Scout Alarm, Garageio, Toymail, MARA, and Mojio.[16] In 2016, the Alexa Prize was announced to further advance the technology.
In January 2017, the first Alexa Conference took place in Nashville, Tennessee, an independent gathering of the worldwide community of Alexa developers and enthusiasts.[17][18][19] Follow up conferences went under the name Project Voice and featured keynote speakers such as Amazon’s Head of Education for Alexa, Paul Cutsinger.[20]
At the Amazon Web Services Re: Invent conference in Las Vegas, Amazon announced Alexa for Business and the ability for app developers to have paid add-ons to their skills.
In May 2018, Amazon announced it would include Alexa in 35,000 new homes built by Lennar.[21]
In November 2018, Amazon opened its first Alexa-themed pop-up shop inside of Toronto‘s Eaton Centre, showcasing the use of home automation products with Amazon’s smart speakers.[22] Amazon also sells Alexa devices at Amazon Books and Whole Foods Market locations, in addition to mall-based pop-ups throughout the United States.
In December 2018, Alexa was built into the Anki Vector and was the first major update for the Anki Vector, although Vector was released in August 2018, it is the only home robot with advanced technology.
As of 2018, interaction and communication with Alexa were available only in English, German, French,[23] Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, and Hindi.[24] In Canada, Alexa is available in English and French (with the Quebec accent).[25][26]
In October 2019, Amazon announced the expansion of Alexa to Brazil, in Portuguese, together with Bose, Intelbras, and LG.[27]
In November 2019, Amazon introduced Echo Studio, a Dolby Atmos-compatible surround sound Alexa speaker.[28]
Hoped-for revenue never materialized from people using voice ordering for Amazon products or services from partners such as Domino’s Pizza and Uber. Alexa does not play audio ads, and display ads were relatively unsuccessful. In 2019 an all-hands crisis meeting was called to address the issue, and a hiring freeze was instated. In 2022, with the division losing several billion dollars per quarter, the company started laying off Alexa employees en masse.[29]