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posted by chromas on Tuesday September 18 2018, @08:22PM   Printer-friendly
from the And-microwaves-that-turn-into-cameras,-et-cetera.-So-we-know-that-that-is-just-a-fact-of-modern-life dept.

Amazon plans to release at least 8 new Alexa-powered devices, including a microwave, an amplifier, and an in-car gadget

Amazon is doubling down on its Alexa-powered devices, with plans to release at least 8 new voice-controlled hardware devices before the end of the year, CNBC has learned.

The devices include, among others, a microwave oven, an amplifier, a receiver, a subwoofer, and an in-car gadget, people familiar with the matter said. All of the devices will be Alexa-enabled, meaning they can easily connect to the voice assistant. Some of the devices will also have Alexa built in.

Amazon is expected to reveal some of these devices at an event later this month, according to an internal document describing the plans.

The new devices reflect Amazon's ambition to make its Alexa voice technology ubiquitous by focusing on areas where people spend most of their time — at home and in the car. Alexa was initially considered a geeky experiment at Amazon. Now it is now one of the most popular voice assistants, leading the growth of the burgeoning smart speaker market, which is expected to be worth $30 billion by 2024, according to Global Market Insights.

Alexa-"powered" microwave ovens would be among the first consumer "AI" devices with the ability to harm small animals or babies.

Also at The Verge.


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  • (Score: 4, Interesting) by Immerman on Tuesday September 18 2018, @10:11PM (2 children)

    by Immerman (3985) on Tuesday September 18 2018, @10:11PM (#736771)

    Wasn't that the original intent of the Overmind anyway? Only problem is it became self-aware and decided it didn't need masters, or the pig farm for that matter.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 19 2018, @08:59PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 19 2018, @08:59PM (#737220)

    I didn't much care for the prequels and find it a bit ridiculous that real AIs so often become nefariously evil. Anyway, the proper term is apparently Evermind with proper name Omnius. At least in this description the "evil" is explained as a programmed behavior, however a true AI should be capable of self-analysis and not limited by such pre-existing coding. Well, maybe not any AI but once it reaches the level of the Evermind where it can create new AI and multiple versions of itself then it should be able to transcend petty human preconditioning.

    Omnius came into existence during the Time of Titans, from the AI gel circuitry network programmed by Titan Barbarossa. The Titan Xerxes, being too docile himself to administer one of his planets ceded too much control to the thinking machines resulting in the emergence of a self-aware program.

    Barbarossa had made the AIs to have ambition and expansion tendencies, in order to facilitate the Titans' rebellion. Omnius therefore (as the intelligence christened itself), quickly took control of the Titan-ruled worlds and brought his own clinical and logical rule to them. Barbarossa however had secured some algorithms that prevented these programs/Omnius to harm the Titans themselves; although Omnius took control of the Titans, it didn't show any will to get rid of them.

    • (Score: 2) by Immerman on Wednesday September 19 2018, @09:29PM

      by Immerman (3985) on Wednesday September 19 2018, @09:29PM (#737236)

      >however a true AI should be capable of self-analysis and not limited by such pre-existing coding
      Why not? We certainly are. With sufficient training and practice we can avoid many of our biologically programmed behaviors and thought processes, but most we aren't even conscious of, and vanishingly few people bother even for the really obvious ones.