Amazon Will Eliminate an Entertaining Service This Summer — But You Won't Get a Refund Unless You Request ItThe company hasn't disclosed why it's cutting the feature, but it could indicate a larger issue.
ByAmanda Breen•
Amazon Alexausers have had access to celebrity voices for several years, relying on them to set alarms,hear jokesand more — but not for much longer.
Customers will lose access to the voices of Samuel L. Jackson,Shaquille O'Nealand Melissa McCarthy starting on June 7,The Vergereported. And they won't be refunded for their purchases — which cost $0.99 at launch before rising to $4.99 — unless they contact customer service.
Related:Amazon Is Huge Because It Started With A Great MVP | Entrepreneur
Amazon introduced Jackson's voice in 2019;Shaq's and McCarthy's followed in 2021. The voices use the company's neural text-to-speech model to come up with responses and are somewhat limited in their capacity: They can't help with shopping lists, reminders or skills.
AlthoughAmazonhasn't disclosed why it's slashing the service, it could signal bigger trouble for the Alexa division, which saw operating losses surpass $5 billion in recent years, perThe Wall Street Journal.
Still, Amazon seems optimistic about Alexa's potential — especially as it pertains toAI.
本月早些时候,罗希特•普拉萨德公司的senior vice president and head scientist for Alexa, toldCNBCthat "Alexa has been and is at the forefront of AI for a long time," adding that the company strives to make Alexa more conversational and intelligent.
Related:Amazon Layoffs Will Cut 18,000 Jobs, Largest in Company History
