The yearly Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has started in Las Vegas, where companies present their latest products and innovations. Amazon is quite active at CES 2024, with a new global partnership with Panasonic. They’re also demonstrating how artificial intelligence (AI) works in cars with BMW. Amazon is adding support for Matter Casting for their Fire TV and Echo Show 15 devices. They’re showcasing the newest version of the Zoox robotaxis, and Siemens is integrating Amazon’s generative AI technology, Amazon Bedrock.
Amazon’s Highlights from CES 2024
Amazon and BMW Showcase In-Car Generative AI
Amazon and BMW are working together on artificial intelligence (AI) features inside cars. They demonstrated how Alexa, powered by a technology called Alexa LLM, can understand and carry out complex requests. This includes providing recommendations for BMW drive modes and explaining car features using the BMW assistant. This collaboration builds on Amazon’s earlier announcement that Alexa Custom Assistant technology would support BMW’s next-generation Intelligent Personal Assistant.
Amazon’s Autonomous Vehicle Subsidiary Zoox
At CES 2024, Zoox, which is Amazon’s self-driving car company, showcased its newest version of the Zoox robotaxis. People at the event had the chance to sign up early for the program. This shows that Amazon is making advancements in the self-driving car industry.
Partnership with Fire TV and Panasonic
Amazon and Panasonic have joined forces globally, meaning that Panasonic’s upcoming smart TVs, starting in 2024, will have Fire TV integrated into them. Specifically, the Panasonic Z95A and Z93A models will come with built-in Fire TV and Alexa features, enhancing the overall user experience. Additionally, the integration of Fire TV Ambient Experience will enable users to showcase personal photos and information through Alexa widgets when the TV is idle.
Matter Casting Support on Fire TV and Echo Show 15
Amazon shared that they now support Matter Casting for Fire TV and Echo Show 15 devices. This means that customers can cast content from streaming apps on both iOS and Android devices. In a groundbreaking demonstration, they showed how this works with the STARZ app—an industry-first. They emphasized its dedication to the Matter Standard and expressed intentions to extend Matter Casting support to additional apps and devices in the future.
Siemens Integrates AWS Generative AI Technology
Siemens made a big announcement by saying they are combining AWS generative AI technology, known as Amazon Bedrock, with their Mendix low-code platform, which is part of Siemens Xcelerator. The goal is to speed up the development of software in different industries. Now, customers can easily add generative AI to their applications using just one interface. This move shows that both Amazon and Siemens are committed to making digitalization easier and faster across various industries.
New generative AI-powered Alexa experiences from developers
In 2023, Amazon introduced new tools to help developers use generative AI more easily and quickly to create conversational experiences with Alexa. Now, customers can try some of these new experiences created by developers. With Character.ai, Alexa users can have fun conversations with different characters, like chatting with fitness coaches, gaining insights from historical figures such as Socrates, getting book recommendations from Librarian Linda, playing RPGs with Text Adventure Game, and more. Splash has connected its AI-powered music creation technology with Alexa, allowing customers to create their songs and personalize elements like genre and lyrics through voice commands.
Additionally, Voice AI game developer Volley has launched its AI-powered “20 Questions,” a more advanced version of the classic parlor game that uses generative AI to interact with customers through questions and engaging conversation.
AI advancements with Alexa Fund
In addition to featuring its products, Showcased a selection of Alexa Fund portfolio companies at CES. This included MultiOn, a new personal artificial intelligence agent. MultiOn displayed its browser experience, which lets customers use the agent to accomplish tasks such as reserving a table at a restaurant or inviting their friends to dinner—all on autopilot. Embodied, Inc., a company focused on AI-powered robotics companions, also showed off the evolution of its Moxie Robot—Moxie AI—which will offer children emotional and academic support. It will be available to purchase in 2024.
Conclusion
At CES 2024, Amazon unveiled key initiatives, including a collaborative effort with BMW to showcase in-vehicle generative AI, integrating Alexa LLM for complex requests and BMW assistant interactions. Amazon’s autonomous vehicle subsidiary, Zoox, presented its latest robotaxis, highlighting advancements in self-driving cars. A global partnership with Panasonic was announced, integrating Fire TV into Panasonic’s upcoming smart TVs, enhancing user experiences. Also introduced Matter Casting support for Fire TV and Echo Show 15, enabling content casting from iOS and Android devices. Siemens integrated Bedrock AI with their Mendix platform, aiming to expedite software development.
Additionally, new generative AI-powered Alexa experiences by developers were showcased, offering diverse interactions. The Alexa Fund featured companies like MultiOn, presenting a personal AI agent, and Embodied, Inc., revealing the Moxie AI robotics companion for children’s emotional and academic support, available in 2024.
