Comment by jvanderbot | Hacker News Reader

Comment by jvanderbot | Hacker News Reader

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Have you noticed how bad their devices dept was gutted? I can easily imagine a proper AI system backing alexa, rolled out to all existing customers, which would potentially boost the viability of that whole product line.

right now I have no idea what Alexa is for anymore. It pings me when a package arrives but so does my phone. I can't order from it, because it makes me open the app. I can manage a shopping list I guess? I ask it the temp outside from time to time b/c I don't want to go look at the thermometer outside my window?

A proper device would discuss with me product options and Q&A, or something. Even piping Grok/GPT5 through to answer questions would be light years ahead of the current crap answers I get when I ask questions. And why doesn't it do a good job of identifying songs that are playing? That's trivial software, and it could recommend some songs like this (which is something I use GPT for).

I don't know I'm just a trad software engineer, but it sure seems like it's low risk / high improvement to at least have a modern LLM feature in that product.

There is absolutely nothing in the world I would like less than an AI device listening to all of my conversations at home.

I have privacy concerns, but an AI that worked as a servant would be a great help. I can't afford servants (or slaves), but I want something that listens in and takes action when I want something. Interrupt me when I'm planning vacation to remind me that there is some other event at home when I'd be gone. When I run low on baking powder ensure I get more.

Again, the privacy concerns need to be addressed. However there is a lot of potential for an AI in my house if it works.

We called that family and community for the last few millennia. It's a shame some people want to automate that out of their lives.

It works by listening for the keyword (it's name), and only then opening a connection to servers. You can verify this by removing internet connectivity and it'll still "turn on" when you say it's name, but will be unable to respond.

It can buffer your words as text until you call it. How many kB do one speak per day? 50?

Hard agree. Same for Siri.

I don't get why they just don't do it. There are jailbreaks, making it talk trash and so on, but is that the majority of users? I doubt it.

I never use Siri except when driving. But when driving, it's really wonderful to have, since my car does not have car play.

As a daily user, it's clear they have been actively messing with Siri still, particularly in the last year. But the changes seem to mostly make it worse. It now misses "hey siri" half the time for no apparent reason. I feel like they just don't know what they want to do with it.

I use almost daily my google nest to set timers hand free while cooking, and managing radio playbacks: I’m an avid web radio listener.

The Alexa product as it is, is already lighting money on fire. Adding LLM integration to it would just be pouring gasoline on it; iirc inference is still not profitable even in easier sectors so Alexa would be a particularly bad place for it. (Even though it would be amazing UX, but I doubt enough people would pay the price it costs to break even).

Am I missing something? Alexa+ with LLMs was already released this year?

https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/devices/new-alexa-generativ...

Too little too late

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