Amazon is reportedly working on its own AI chatbot, codenamed “Metis,” which will function similarly to ChatGPT.
According to Business Insider, which spoke “with people familiar with the project,” the new platform will be accessible through a web browser. They also saw an internal document revealing the chatbot’s potential capabilities. It will provide text responses to queries in a “conversational manner,” provide links to sources, suggest follow-up questions, and even generate images.
So far, it seems like Metis works like any other generative AI, but things soon start to go awry. Apparently, the company wants to use a technique called “recovery augmented generation,” or RAG for short. It gives Metis the ability to capture information outside of its original training data, thus giving the AI a huge advantage over its rivals.
ChatGPT, by comparison, works by accessing a data repository every time a user enters a message, but that repository has a deadline that differs between the service's models. For example, GPT-4 Turbo has a deadline of December 2023. It's not aware of anything that's happened so far in 2024.
Powering the AI chatbot
It is unknown if Amazon has implemented RAG at the time of Business Insider's report. Metis is also planned to function as an “AI agent.” Judging by the description provided, it would allow the service to function as a kind of smart home assistant, “automating and performing complex tasks.” This includes, but is not limited to, turning on lights, making vacation itineraries, and booking flights.
The report goes on to reveal some of the technologies powering Metis. The AI runs on a new internal AI model called Olympus, which is supposed to be a better version of Amazon's “publicly available Titan.” The company even brought in people from the Alexa team to help with development. In fact, Metis “uses some of the [same] resources” like the long-rumored Alexa update.
Different attitudes
Attitudes towards the AI chatbot vary between different parts of the company. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy seems very interested in the project, as he is directly involved in development and often reviews the team's progress. Others, however, are less enthusiastic. One of the sources told Business Insider that they felt the company was too late to celebrate. Rival companies are so far ahead that they may not be worth pursuing.
The report mentions that Amazon's forays into AI have been mostly failures. The Titan model is considered weaker than rival models; Its Amazon Q corporate chatbot is not very good and there is little demand for its Trainnium and Inferentia AI chips. Amazon needs a big win to stay in the AI space.
Sources say Metis is scheduled to launch in September around the same time Amazon plans to hold its next big event. However, the date could change at any time. At the moment nothing is set in stone.
While we're at it, be sure to check out TechRadar's list of the best AI chatbots for 2024.
