Together with its new Fire TV hardware, Amazon announced that it is bringing multiple new features to Fire TV powered by AI.
The first of the new AI-powered features, which will arrive later via a software update, will make it possible to ask Alexa to find content in a more conversational way; more in line with ChatGPT, although it remains to be seen how good Amazon's implementation is.
The new Alexa upgrade for Fire TV will let you have a conversation. Photo: Amazon
- "We've leveraged our new large language model to create a much more natural and conversational way to find content using natural dialogue. Simply ask Alexa nuanced or even open-ended questions about anything from genres and actors, to storylines and scenes, and enter a conversation that will find you something new based on what you like—even if you don’t know what you’re looking for," explained Tapas Roy, VP of Fire TV.
You can see it in action during Amazon's event here (jump to 44 minutes):
AI-generated art on-demand
An upcoming addition to Fire TV's 'Ambient Experience' feature, which is currently available in some Fire TV, ehm, TVs, and the second-generation The Fire TV Stick 4K Max, is the ability to create AI artwork.
- "Customers can also create artwork using just their voice with AI Art. This free feature, which will begin rolling out to customers in the U.S. by the end of this year, allows customers to easily generate a personalized background by giving Alexa an imagination-driven prompt, such as, 'Alexa, create an image of cherry blossoms in the snow,' and watch as that prompt is translated into a unique display on the Fire TV screen. Coming next year, customers will also be able to display a personal photo from Amazon Photos, and even transform the image into a popular art style, like sepia tone or a watercolor painting," the company explained.
A new 'Continue Watching' row on Fire TV will include content from Amazon Freevee, Disney+, Hulu, Max, MGM+, Peacock, STARZ, and Tubi, with wider support coming later, said Amazon.
The company did not detail which Fire TV devices will get which features.
The AI-powered voice search and 'Continue Watching' row will roll out in the US later this year while the AI Art feature will launch in the US by the end of the year.
