- November 30, 2023
- AI in Business
Amazon has unveiled its response to ChatGPT with the introduction of Q—a business chatbot fueled by generative artificial intelligence. The announcement was made during the company’s annual conference in Las Vegas, where it hosts events for its AWS cloud computing service. This move reflects Amazon’s reaction to competitors who have introduced chatbots that have garnered widespread public interest.
About a year ago, the release of ChatGPT by San Francisco startup OpenAI triggered a surge of interest in generative AI tools capable of producing emails, marketing content, essays, and other written material that closely resembles human work. Initially, this attention provided an edge to Microsoft, OpenAI’s chief partner and financial supporter, as it possesses rights to the foundational technology behind ChatGPT. Microsoft has utilized this technology to develop its own generative AI tools, such as Copilot. This trend has also motivated rivals like Google to launch their own iterations.
These chatbots represent a new era of AI systems that can engage in conversations, generate readable text on demand, and even create original images and videos based on their extensive knowledge derived from digital books, online content, and various media.
Amazon disclosed that Q can perform tasks like content synthesis, streamline day-to-day communications, and assist employees in activities like blog post generation. Companies have the option to integrate Q with their data and systems for a personalized experience tailored to their specific business needs. The technology is presently accessible for a preview.
Despite Amazon’s dominance as the leading cloud computing provider, it is not considered a frontrunner in AI research that has driven advancements in generative AI. According to a recent transparency index from Stanford University, which assessed the top 10 foundational AI models, including Amazon’s Titan, the company ranked at the bottom. The lack of transparency can pose challenges for customers seeking assurance in using the technology.
Amazon is making strides in the field. In September, the company announced a substantial investment of up to $4 billion in the AI startup Anthropic, based in San Francisco and founded by former OpenAI staff. Amazon has introduced new services, such as an update for its popular assistant Alexa to enable more natural conversations and AI-generated summaries of product reviews for consumers.
