Highlights:
- Metis is designed to have conversations with users, providing answers in both text and images.
- It is claimed that Metis will also be tasked with functioning as an AI agent.
Amazon.com Inc. is reportedly developing a new artificial intelligence chatbot, purportedly Amazon’s alleged new AI chatbot Metis, aimed at directly competing with OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
As reported by a prominent media outlet, sources familiar with the matter reveal that the internal AI project is named “Metis,” inspired by the Greek goddess of wisdom. This project is reportedly powered by an internal Amazon AI model called Olympus, which is more advanced than Amazon’s currently available Titan AI model.
Metis is described as providing text and image-based answers in a conversational style. It can provide links to sources, propose follow-up questions, and create images. Additionally, Amazon reportedly aims for Metis to employ retrieval-augmented generation, enabling it to access information beyond its original dataset to deliver current responses, such as stock prices.
Interestingly, it is reported that Metis will also function as an AI agent. Often touted as the next big advancement in AI, these agents autonomously perform tasks by analyzing data, making decisions, and taking various actions based on programmed algorithms and learned patterns.
Amazon has previously faced accusations of lagging in the AI race, a surprising claim made last month by Jeff Bezos, the company’s founder and former Chief Executive Officer. Reports indicated that Bezos had been emailing Amazon executives, inquiring why more AI firms weren’t utilizing its cloud services.
The debate over whether Amazon is lagging in AI continues, but to its credit, the company has been advancing in AI service delivery. While it may not receive the same attention as companies like OpenAI or Google LLC, Amazon has been making significant progress in AI service delivery.
In November, Amazon unveiled a preview of Amazon Q, a generative AI assistant customizable for individual businesses. In May, reports indicated that Amazon was in the process of developing an upgraded version of Alexa, leveraging its Titan AI model.
Amazon Web Services Inc. declared on June 13 that it was investing USD 230 million in free cloud credits for generative AI startups in an effort to entice more AI companies to use its services. AWS is providing early-stage generative AI startups with free credits as part of the offering, which enables them to access Amazon’s processing power, a variety of AI models, specialized infrastructure, and services.