The Tech Download: Amazon’s devices chief Panos Panay on tech giant's AI gadget push

More than a decade ago, before we were talking about "AI agents," Amazon launched its digital voice assistant Alexa and the smart speaker branded Echo.

I remember using one and thinking there was definitely a future here for these kinds of devices. Fast forward to now, with huge leaps in AI models, Alexa has received an upgrade and Amazon is thinking about a world where its voice assistant can be with you everywhere.

Driving the current gadget and AI push is Amazon's hardware and services chief, Panos Panay, who's the latest guest on The Tech Download. 

Panay laid out his vision of Alexa+, the latest souped up AI version of Alexa. The idea is this assistant will learn about your life, with context and carry out tasks. 

"Now it's more contextual. You just say what you're thinking and your assistant is there to help you through the day and help you do what you want to do," Panay said.

Amazon's foray into devices has seen it jump into speakers, doorbells and now wearables with its acquisition of Bee, a startup developing a wristband device. Alexa is at the heart of tying all of those together in a world where "we might be moving away from a world of apps and screens," Panay said.

The smartphone has been at the center of our digital life for so long. Now with more advanced AI, what if a screen isn't needed and instead you could do more with voice? This is what Amazon, along with other device companies are thinking about. What the best future gadgets look like is still up for debate. But Amazon is certainly cooking a few things up.

"I have a lab full of devices," Panay said, adding that there is a "whole roadmap of on-the-go devices." 

My final big takeaway from the conversation was about semiconductors. For those of you who know me, you know chips are one of my favorite topics. For the first time publicly, Panay discussed Amazon's semiconductor efforts for its consumer electronics. 

"On some of the more critical devices right now, our focus is end-to-end silicon," Panay said. 

This means that Amazon is designing the chips that go into its devices. It's right out of the Apple playbook. By having more control over the hardware and software integration, Amazon will be able to deliver more differentiated experiences around Alexa. 

There is so much more to unpack in the podcast. Give it a listen and let me know what you think.

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