“Alexa, how old are you?” “. “I was first born in the United States on November 6, 2014, then in France on June 13, 2018.” Amazon’s voice assistant is therefore celebrating its 5th anniversary in France this year. And it was this Thursday, November 16 that the web giant finally decided to blow out its candles in France… coincidentally the day before Black Friday!
Integrated in an application (Amazon Alexa), in numerous hubs (connected speakers, with or without screen) regularly renewed by its manufacturer, and compatible in tons of connected objects (robot vacuum cleaners, locks, gates, rolling shutters, etc.), Has Alexa found her place in our lives? Jean-Christophe Levescot, co-founder with Rémi Hontang of the site lesalexiens.franswers questions from 20 minutes.
Who are the Alexians?
Originally, we are, with Rémi Hontang, two ex-beta testers of Alexa that we discovered well before its launch in France. Amazon notably tested our southwest accent (we are from the Bordeaux region) to see if its virtual assistant was compatible! The idea was above all to ask Alexa a whole bunch of questions and provide the answers to its designers. We then wanted to create a website dedicated and a Facebook group which have expanded to home automation.
In five years, has Alexa changed our lives?
I think so, although “changed” is a big word. The fact is that in five years, with Alexa, we have moved from a somewhat gimmicky voice assistant to, thanks to it, a real democratization of home automation. Many users start with a simple connected bulb which they will control to turn on and off by voice, then upgrade their installation, like with fully automated shutters.
Importantly, we noticed thanks to our readers and subscribers that Alexa had gained a real audience among people with disabilities. Thanks to the assistant, it is not necessarily necessary to travel for this or that task. Even blind people find it interesting.
Is there still a gadget side to Alexa?
Yes, there are all these skills (the mini-programs of the Amazon Alexa application which allow you to personalize your experience) which don’t serve much purpose, like those to ask you to make the sound of a pig… or a fart! It’s fun for the kids, but afterwards, with Alexa, it’s everyday uses that have real added value.
What are the most practical uses?
Personally, I use it to find out if I have mail that has arrived. My connected mailbox alerts me, thanks to Alexa, when the postman has just passed. I also use it to open my shutters, use my television… and even for my cats with my connected kibble dispenser! My doorbell, my lock… and my robot vacuum cleaner are also connected to Alexa. I also use its services to launch Amazon Music, podcasts, listen to audiobooks.
And since I travel, I also use the Echo Auto. Being able to control my music or start an audio book, change direction on Waze, by voice, without taking your hands off the wheel… Alexa is really practical!
Is there a “killer app” that exists with Alexa?
There isn’t one that stands out. In any case, I don’t necessarily have one. On the other hand, it is when you use all of its features that Alexa is of great interest. It’s the synergy that’s interesting.
Are there any unexpected features that might come as a surprise?
Amazon is trying to make Alexa smarter and smarter, but AI integration is still a bit slow. It will happen. If we ask her a question, a development has recently made it possible to move on to another question, and a vocal feedback with little words of humor which today make the assistant more human. It’s a first step.
What are the main flaws?
On the one hand, there is the lack of fluidity in conversations. Amazon is working hard on it, but having to rerun requests starting with “Alexa…” when you need different services can be boring. On the other hand, if the Amazon Alexa application is improving, it still remains a bit of a catch-all. And it’s a disaster if we try to eliminate products that we no longer use. Even I, who have already connected a hundred of them over the course of my tests, I still have difficulty getting to the end of the manipulation…
Should Amazon be worried about the rise of ChatGPT?
They are working on it to integrate something similar. But Alexa remains standardized and narrow-minded. Currently, it is a program that does not learn as it goes, and is not generative, like ChatGPT. But it’s not quite the same use. With Alexa, we remain, for the moment, on commands, on utility.
How do you see Alexa evolving?
We see that current developments are essentially material. The recent support for the Matter protocol is a good thing. It would be nice to have a system that can work regardless of platforms. Amazon is also working on contextual requests, multi-factor routines, such as “Turn on this device and turn it off in 15 minutes”. And as Amazon will eventually inject a little AI, we will discover services that will anticipate user requests. This will be a good thing, as long as it’s not too intrusive.
And Google Home, Alexa’s rival, in all this?
For a long time, Google’s assistant was ahead of its Amazon rival, but today we see that on the Google side, the home automation part is completely behind. Google Home, like Apple’s SIRI, no longer evolves too much. At least for the moment.