Alexa, what happened to your big AI upgrade? [Video]

For the past several years, Amazon has held a big September event to show off its latest hardware, and 2023’s presentation included a doozy: a new Alexa with ChatGPT-like conversational abilities. 

It was an impressive demo, to be sure, and outgoing Amazon hardware chief David Limp (who has since been replaced by ex-Microsoft exec Panos Panay) said we’d get a preview of the new Alexa sometime in 2024. 

But as the final weeks of 2024 tick off, there’s still no sign of the so-called “remarkable Alexa,” and it’s becoming increasingly clear that the promised preview won’t be happening anytime soon. 

This news story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart speakers.

Besides the lack of any clear timeline for the new Alexa, Amazon raised eyebrows by skipping its big hardware event this year, opting instead for a scaled-back unveiling of new Kindle models. 

The latest we’re hearing about the revamped Alexa comes from Bloomberg, …