OpenAI recently introduced GPT-4o, raising the bar for conversational AI with sophisticated reasoning abilities. Meanwhile, PolyAI secured Series C funding for their enterprise voice assistant after significant growth. At Amazon’s Alexa, the focus on customer data protection led to challenging internal processes and bureaucratic issues. The decentralized org structure caused duplication of efforts and hindered collaboration. The alignment between product and science sometimes created conflict, with experimental projects struggling to meet product expectations. Looking ahead, the future of conversational AI remains open, with suggestions for focusing on robust developer infrastructure, leveraging LLMs, and allowing for longer research timelines. The battle for the future of conversational AI is still up for grabs.
https://www.mihaileric.com/posts/how-alexa-dropped-the-ball-conversational-ai/