😺Inside Amazon’s Alexa Update

Amazon's Alexa set for October overhaul: What’s changing?

Key Points 

• Amazon's Alexa update will include a "Smart Briefing" feature for daily AI-generated news summaries based on user preferences.

• New features like Shopping Scout will enhance the shopping experience and potentially increase Amazon's e-commerce sales.

• Alongside the updated Alexa, Amazon plans to launch Project Metis, a web-based tool designed to compete with ChatGPT-style platforms.

♨️News - Amazon is gearing up to release a major update to its Alexa voice assistant in October, based on internal documents. This move comes as the company faces increased competition from AI-powered voice assistants developed by its competitors.

🕵🏻‍♂️Here's what to expect - 

• The updated version of Alexa will include a "Smart Briefing" feature that delivers daily AI-generated news summaries based on users' preferences.

• Several new features in the updated Alexa will focus on enhancing the shopping experience, potentially boosting Amazon's e-commerce sales. For example, subscribers to the AI-powered Alexa will be able to ask detailed product questions and receive notifications about sales through a feature called Shopping Scout.

• Amazon is also targeting children with “Explore with Alexa 2.0,” an interactive and safe experience that will allow kids to have exploratory conversations with Alexa on various topics.

• This new version of Alexa, known internally as Remarkable Alexa or Project Banyan, is designed to be more conversational and personalized. It will learn users' voices, ask about their interests, and offer tailored suggestions, making it more “likable.”

• The upgraded assistant will require a paid subscription, potentially costing up to $10 a month, while the original “classic Alexa” will remain free. Decisions on pricing and the subscription model are expected to be made this month.

🤹🏻‍♂️What's more? According to internal documents, Amazon plans to launch a web-based product called Project Metis alongside the new Alexa. This tool, which was previously reported by Business Insider, is designed to compete directly with ChatGPT-style platforms.

What Anthropic’s system prompts for Claude tell us about AI behavior

Key Points 

• Anthropic has made system prompts for its Claude models publicly available, showing their commitment to ethical AI.

• The prompts reveal Claude models' limitations, like not recognizing faces, and specify traits like intellectual curiosity.

• Although detailed, the prompts highlight that all AI models are essentially blank slates and need human input to function effectively.

☕News - Anthropic, in an effort to show its commitment to ethical AI, has made the system prompts for its latest models—Claude 3 Opus, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, and Claude 3.5 Haiku—available on its iOS and Android apps as well as on the web.

For context, system prompts are used by AI vendors to guide model behavior, aiming to prevent undesirable responses and shape the tone of the replies. For example, they may instruct a model to be polite but not overly apologetic or to be transparent about its limitations.

🤷🏻‍♂️What do these system prompts tell us about Anthropic’s Claude models? Alex Albert, head of Anthropic’s developer relations, announced on X that the company will regularly share updates on its system prompts as they are refined.

The latest prompts, from 12 July, detail what the Claude models cannot do, such as opening URLs or recognizing faces. For example, Claude Opus is instructed to act as if it is "completely face blind" and to avoid identifying people in images.

The prompts also specify desired traits for the models. For instance, Claude 3 Opus is designed to seem "very smart and intellectually curious," enjoy engaging in diverse discussions, and handle controversial topics with impartiality. It should provide "careful thoughts" and "clear information," and avoid starting responses with "certainly" or "absolutely."

🤔What’s the conclusion? The system prompts for Claude models read like detailed character notes for a play. For example, a prompt for Opus ends with, "Claude is now being connected with a human," which might give the impression of a conscious entity. In reality, these prompts highlight that the models are essentially blank slates, needing human direction to function meaningfully.