David Garrity on CNBC: Alexa acting like ‘recommendation engine,’ which can drive consum
GVA Research CEO: Alexa acting like ‘recommendation engine,’ which can drive consumers to Amazon from CNBC.
AMZN Product Launch To Show Case Expanding Range Of Alexa-powered Devices To Surround Consumers With Network of “Touchpoints”
In the battle beyond the browser, AMZN has previously indicated that 2018 would see the introduction of 8 devices that would build and expand beyond those introduced in 2017, namely the 4K Fire TV; a smaller, $99 Echo speaker; a $149 Echo Plus speaker; an Echo that looks like an alarm clock (the “Echo Spot”); Echo Buttons, for casual games; a partnership with BMW to make Alexa work in cars; and lastly the ability to initiate phone calls with Alexa, using a $35 device called the “Echo Connect”. As data capture and monetization has clearly become the lifeblood of internet-based commerce, AMZN clearly intends with today’s product announcements to continue its relentless pursuit of surrounding consumers with an ever-present network of AI-enabled touchpoints to achieve data capture at a scale previously not imagined. If it wasn’t clear before, consumers have now clearly become the product.
With AMZN Leading AI-powered Charge To Capture Consumer Data, Data Privacy Becomes Greater Concern
As AMZN is flooding the consumer market with AI-powered devices to capture consumer attention and data, an effort in which it is clearly not alone as other companies have been frenetic in their pace of similar voice-activated devices and applications, it will be interesting to see how the company squares its efforts to comply with the EU’s recently implemented GDPR privacy regulations. Should the GDPR prove insufficient, the steps necessary to protect and preserve individual privacy may be better served by developing and implementing blockchain-based solutions to enable individuals to determine how and to whom and on what terms personal information is made available.