Amazon’s attempt to upgrade Alexa with generative AI capabilities has encountered significant challenges, according to internal documents obtained by Jason Del Rey at Fortune. The new version, codenamed Banyan, suffers from response delays and low customer satisfaction scores in testing. Documents reveal that the AI assistant’s latency issues could frustrate users, and nearly 10% of current Echo devices won’t be compatible with the upgrade.
The company has already missed multiple launch targets in 2024, with some employees now indicating a possible delay until 2025. Amazon plans to partner with companies like Uber and OpenTable for enhanced services and may introduce a subscription model for the new features. While Amazon spokesperson Lauren Raemhild emphasizes the complexity of developing such technology, internal communications suggest substantial improvements are needed before release.