Amazon has quietly embarked on a mission to develop a formidable competitor to ChatGPT, unveiling an internal project known as "Metis," as revealed by sources familiar with the matter and an internal document obtained by Business Insider. Named after the Greek goddess of wisdom, Metis signifies Amazon's strategic endeavour to establish a robust AI service accessible via web browsers, mirroring the functionality of existing AI assistants.
The project is powered by Amazon’s internal AI model, Olympus, and is expected to offer more up-to-date responses than other chatbots.
Metis is anticipated to function as an AI agent, automating complex tasks based on existing data. Amazon is aiming to launch Metis in September, coinciding with a major Alexa event, although the timeline is subject to change. The project is being led by Amazon’s AGI team, headed by Rohit Prasad, a senior vice president and head scientist at Amazon.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has stated that nearly every division of the company is engaged in AI projects. As a leader in cloud computing, Amazon has been developing machine learning, a form of AI, for years. Jassy recently mentioned that Amazon’s AI efforts are on track to generate over $1 billion in annual revenue, with expectations to drive “tens of billions of dollars” in sales in the coming years.
Amazon's move into this space signifies a significant expansion beyond its existing AI initiatives, potentially leveraging its vast cloud infrastructure and consumer-facing technology to gain a competitive edge. The development of Metis highlights Amazon's commitment to enhancing user experiences through AI-driven applications, poised to disrupt the current landscape of digital assistants.
