Amazon is reportedly working on an artificial intelligence service known internally as “Metis,” which is intended to rival OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The project is managed by Amazon’s Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) team, led by head scientist Rohit Prasad and under the direction of Vishal Sharma, Vice President of AGI.
Acording to Business Insider, Metis is being built upon Amazon’s advanced AI model, Olympus, an upgraded version derived from the Titan model. Olympus employs Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) to supply real-time information, distinguishing it from other AI chatbots that depend mainly on pre-existing training data. The features include delivering current stock prices and the capability to generate images.
The AI service aims to serve as an intelligent AI assistant capable of performing various automated tasks. These tasks range from creating vacation plans to controlling smart home gadgets and booking flights. In addition to text-based interactions, Metis can produce images and provide links to source information, enhancing both functionality and reliability.
A large portion of the development team consists of former Alexa AI personnel. Additionally, the project incorporates technologies from the overhauled Alexa Assistant, set to launch in August. This internal synergy aims to develop an AI that can handle complex tasks efficiently, benefiting from the accumulated expertise within Amazon’s previous AI projects.
Entering the AI assistant market, Amazon faces competition from major players like Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI. Despite Amazon’s significant capabilities in cloud computing and machine learning, its Titan model has been seen as less powerful compared to competitors’ offerings. Previous AI endeavors, such as Amazon Q, have received mixed reviews, and AI chips like Trainium and Inferentia have encountered performance issues.
CEO Andy Jassy is heavily involved in overseeing the Metis project, emphasizing Amazon’s focus on advancing its AI technology. Jassy has highlighted the future revenue potential of Amazon’s AI developments. The launch of Metis is tentatively slated for September, aligning with Amazon’s annual Alexa event.
Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder and former CEO, has conveyed concerns regarding the company’s standing in the AI domain. Bezos recently questioned why more AI companies haven’t adopted Amazon’s cloud services, pointing to a strategic effort to widen Amazon’s reach in the AI field.
In November, Amazon released a preview of Amazon Q, a generative AI assistant targeted at customer businesses. Furthermore, in June, Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced a $230 million initiative in free cloud credits for generative AI startups, aiming to give early-stage companies access to Amazon’s computing resources and specialized infrastructure.
As we reported earlier, Amazon’s project to develop a significantly smarter Alexa, integrating advanced generative AI, is encountering major obstacles. Multiple technological and managerial challenges have marred the integration of generative AI technology into Alexa. Ensuring Alexa can reliably carry out tasks, such as executing API calls for third-party smart devices and music services, has proven problematic.
Efforts to develop Metis AI as a ChatGPT contender, is linked to the overhaul of Alexa. Recent reports indicate that Amazon plans to turn it into a more capable assistant, and is even gearing up to roll out a more advanced version of its Alexa voice assistant that may come with a monthly subscription fee of $5 to $10.
