Hey Alexa, do you finally have a real business model?

THE last time we heard from Amazon.com chief executive officer Andy Jassy, he was breaking it to investors that his company was forecasting US$100 billion in capital expenditures this year – the largest outlay of the tech giants in the pursuit of artificial intelligence (AI).

It is understandable, then, why he’s eager to explain how AI is already being put to use. On Wednesday (Feb 26), at an event in New York, the company made a strong pitch that Alexa, its often-mocked smart voice assistant, has been given a new purpose – and a new business model – thanks to generative AI.

With the usual (and crucial) caveat around not being allowed to try the tech out directly for ourselves at the launch event, the assembled journalists and analysts came away distinctly impressed. If Alexa works as advertised, Amazon has made it relevant again.