CNN — At a recent event, Amazon unveiled a more sophisticated version of Alexa, its virtual assistant. This upgraded Alexa is designed to be more conversational, enabling it to handle tasks on the user’s behalf. In a departure from tradition, however, the company did not announce any new Echo devices to accompany the revamped Alexa.
While details are scarce, head of Amazon’s devices and services business, Panos Panay, hinted that new products are in development. When asked about a potential new version of Alexa-enabled smart glasses with cameras to compete with Meta’s Ray-Bans, Panay stated, “I think you can imagine, there’s going to be a whole slew of AI devices that are coming.”
His remarks come as a number of tech giants are rapidly incorporating AI agents and chatbots into their devices. For example, Apple’s artificial intelligence suite, Apple Intelligence, was a headlining feature for their iPhone 16 and even the cheaper iPhone 16e. Microsoft has also integrated its Copilot virtual helper into its Windows PC operating system.
Panay declined to elaborate on the nature of these upcoming AI devices, but he suggested they would be part of a larger vision. “You can imagine… a constellation of devices that has to come together to make it a better experience,” he explained.
Amazon already has a ‘constellation’ of devices, from Ring security cameras to Eero Wi-Fi routers and, prominently, its Echo smart speakers. The company is also incorporating Alexa+ into some of these gadgets. With Alexa+, users can, among other things, ask questions about what happened in their homes based on Ring camera footage. Amazon has also been exploring smart rings and fitness trackers in addition to its Alexa-powered glasses.
Smart glasses are becoming increasingly relevant thanks to improvements in AI models capable of processing visual and speech input. Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses, boasting functionalities like language translation and answering questions about the user’s field of vision, have gained some traction. EssilorLuxottica, the parent company of Ray-Ban, reported sales of two million pairs since their 2023 debut.
Looking ahead, Samsung and Google announced last year that they are developing a new version of Android specifically for smart glasses, potentially signaling the arrival of new spectacles in the market. Amazon’s existing Echo Frames, however, do not include cameras and were perhaps a bit premature. Nonetheless, Panay expressed confidence in the company’s future hardware lineup, highlighting its commitment to Alexa. “We have an amazing lineup coming,” he said, “But we also have an amazing lineup in market, and Alexa (is) so new.”
