Amazon’s new Alexa has reportedly slipped to 2025

Amazon's revamp of its Alexa voice assistant has been delayed again, with the launch now reportedly pushed back to 2025. The new Alexa was expected to arrive this year with ChatGPT-style intelligence and more natural conversations. However, the project has faced setbacks, and beta testers have been unimpressed with the slow and stiff responses. The new Alexa has also been reported to mess up smart home integrations, hallucinate, and try to show off. The challenge lies in integrating large language models with the command and control method of today's voice assistants. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has yet to convey a compelling vision for an AI-powered Alexa, and the company has yet to prove it can do this without diminishing the features customers use the assistant for every day. The beta of the new Alexa has been cut off, and users are now met with a message saying it's no longer available. Amazon has installed a new head of the devices and services division, Panos Panay, who has brought a focus on higher-quality design to the group. The company's prior focus on cheap hardware at the expense of better software has contributed to Alexa's lack of progress over the last decade. With better hardware and a focus on building on Alexa's strengths, the company could recapture its original vision of creating a Star Trek-like "Computer." However, the new Alexa won't be arriving anytime soon.