Alexa’s next AI trick will be to disappear

Rohit Prasad, senior VP and Head Scientist for Alexa at Amazon, predicts that more intuitive, ambient AI is the future for Alexa technology.

Alexa is perhaps the most well-known example of AI technology in the world today. The virtual assistant’s soft voice is familiar to many. But Amazon’s Rohit Prasad thinks it can do so much more, “Alexa is not just an AI assistant – it’s a trusted advisor and a companion.”

The senior VP and Head Scientist for Alexa noted that during the recent years of the Covid-19 pandemic more people turned to Alexa than before, “we had total interactions with Alexa grow by 30 percent in 12 months.” He now believes the technology is ready to take the next step in its evolution – ensuring you only need to interact with Alexa when you need it.

With coming iterations of Alexa, the digital assistant will become able to recognise behaviour patterns and offer guidance supporting those actions. Alexa will also be trained to understand what situations are good for its user in context.

Rohit gave the example of Alexa being able to check if your thermostat is too high and suggest you turn down the heat to save money, especially if you have a regular set temperature. This will make the vision of ambient AI, there when you need it and offline when you don’t, a reality.

Rohit Prasad, Senior VP and Alexa head scientist at Amazon, was in conversation with Nick Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic, on Centre Stage at Web Summit 2022.

Subscribe to 🎙️ The Next Stage 🎙️ wherever you get your podcasts, and download this episode – or listen above right now.

Join us in Lisbon next year for more exciting talks. Pre-register now for your Web Summit 2023 tickets.

Main image of Rohit Prasad onstage at Web Summit 2022: Ben McShane/Web Summit (CC BY 2.0)