In brief: There have been a few reports recently about the excitement around generative AI cooling off and fewer people using ChatGPT. But it seems that Amazon isn't concerned. According to CEO Andy Jassy, "every single one" of the company's businesses has "multiple generative AI initiatives going right now."
Jassy revealed during Amazon's Q2 2023 earnings call that the company was all-in on generative AI. The CEO not only talked about how Amazon Web Services is powering a number of generative AI applications but also the company-wide focus on the new technology.
Jassy added that the generative AI initiatives range from helping Amazon become more cost-effective and streamlined in how the company runs operations and its businesses, to the "absolute heart of every customer experience in which we offer."
Some specific areas of Amazon where generative AI is being used include its Store, advertising, entertainment, and AWS segments. Jassy also mentioned devices, noting that the company was working on an integration of generative AI into Alexa.
"It [generative AI] is going to be at the heart of what we do. It's a significant investment and focus for us," said Jassy.
The CEO sounded quite excited about the mix of generative AI and Alexa. He previously talked about the company building an improved Large Language Model (LLM) that will power the virtual assistant, one that is much larger and much more generalized and capable. Amazon is holding a devices event on September 20, where it will most likely reveal some of the new and improved generative AI features that have been integrated into Alexa.
All of the big tech companies are focusing time and resources on generative AI right now. Meta said in February that it was building a new top-level product group that will be implementing the tech into its services, enabling "delightful experiences" for users. According to a recent report, Mark Zuckerberg and co. are planning to launch a range of chatbots that feature different personas, including one that imitates the personality of Abraham Lincoln.
Google is also pushing its generative AI teams with its Search Generative Experience and Bard, but the company warns to check the latter's answers. Apple has also expressed an interest in AI and is reportedly working on its own version of ChatGPT called, imaginatively, AppleGPT, though it's said to be years away from release.