Amazon to cut hundreds of Alexa employees to modernise voice assistant

Amazon is laying off several hundred workers in its Alexa division as it integrates generative artificial intelligence technology into its voice assistant.

Here's What We Know

The company confirmed that the layoffs will affect several hundred people. According to Amazon vice president Daniel Bausch, the move is part of a reallocation of resources to generative AI development. He added that the company is making efforts to employ those laid off in other divisions.

Amazon expressed optimism about Alexa's prospects. The company intends to continue investing in innovation to realise the vision of an intelligent voice assistant.

In September, Amazon announced plans to modernise Alexa based on technology used in chatbots like ChatGPT. This will expand Alexa's natural language understanding and communication capabilities, the company believes.

Another massive layoff is part of a general trend at Amazon. In the past 12 months, the company has laid off more than 27,000 employees worldwide.

Source: Engadget