Amazon is moving into artificial intelligence by developing a new AI chatbot, code-named ‘Metis’, to compete directly with OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The tentative launch of Metis is scheduled for September’s Alexa event.
First reported by Business Insider, the project, named after the Greek goddess of wisdom, is shrouded in secrecy but promises significant advancements. Metis will be powered by Amazon’s internal AI model, Olympus, an upgraded version of the publicly available Titan model.
According to insiders and an internal document reviewed by Business Insider, Metis will provide text and image-based responses, share links to sources, and suggest follow-up queries, all in a conversational manner.
One of Metis’s standout features is its use of retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), which allows it to access and retrieve information beyond the initial data set used to train its underlying model. This capability aims to provide more up-to-date and accurate responses, such as current stock prices, which many existing chatbots cannot offer.
Metis is anticipated to serve as an AI-powered assistant, automating complex tasks. These include planning vacations, managing smart home systems, and arranging travel bookings, demonstrating its potential as a multifaceted consumer tool.
By introducing Metis, Amazon is positioning itself as a direct competitor to well-established AI companies such as OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic, who have been at the forefront of AI development for some time. While Amazon has experience in AI and machine learning, its Titan model is not at par with its competitors. The company’s previous AI offering, Amazon Q, aimed at corporate users, received mixed feedback, underscoring the hurdles Amazon faces in this highly competitive field.
Amazon’s AI chips, Trainium and Inferentia, have also encountered issues with demand and performance, further complicating its position in the AI race. The company has recently resorted to scraping open-source data from GitHub to expedite its AI model training.
The development of Metis leverages resources and expertise from Amazon’s Alexa team, incorporating elements from the upgraded ‘Remarkable Alexa.’
While the tentative launch date is set for September, coinciding with Amazon’s annual Alexa event, the Metis team is under pressure to deliver a competitive product.
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