Amazon is shifting company resources to greater focus on its artificial intelligence division and will cut workers and funding in the Alexa division. The company will no longer be pursuing various projects and initiatives regarding Amazon Alexa and Amazon Fire TV, and will instead work to expand generative AI. The company announced new AI initiatives such as increased use of generative AI in Alexa, integrating AI into customer reviews, and the ability for developers to use AI tools in the AWS cloud infrastructure. Amazon will lay off hundreds of workers in the Alexa division, and workers in the United States, Canada, and India will be affected. Amazon has cut thousands of jobs this past year, and recent layoffs were announced in the gaming and music divisions. The company has laid off over 27,000 employees around the world in the past two years.
See "Amazon announces cuts to various Alexa division initiatives, as well as layoffs in the division", AP News, November 20, 2023