When Amazon launches a new feature, the company writes a mock press release for Verge magazine to present to leadership.
Our Creative Director, Benson Chan, wrote this article when Amazon launched themes for Alexa. Then, he asked me to edit and improve it before he presented it to the Director of the Alexa org.
I did a complete rewrite. Our director, Rohit Prasad, said it was the most well written, clearest, and most concise press release he'd ever read. After that, demand for my editing skills increased exponentially.
The edited version is first. Benson's original article follows.
Edited Version
Amazon’s Alexa Themes: Elevating Personalization in AI
The Verge
December 7, 2022
In the rapidly evolving world of smart home technology, Amazon’s Alexa continues to push the boundaries of what artificial intelligence can do. A recent development that’s been making waves is the introduction of Alexa themes, a feature designed to add a touch of personalization and fun to your AI-driven experience.
Launched in October 2022, Alexa themes allow users to customize their Alexa devices with various unique sounds, images, and other content. It started with a Halloween theme. It was designed to bring spooky fun into users’ lives with eerie sounds and Halloween-themed visuals. Following this, themes like Cat, Space, and Winter Holidays were rolled out, catering to various tastes and preferences.
Amazon forged one of the most exciting partnerships with Disney, resulting in a theme for the highly anticipated movie “Avatar: The Way of Water.” This theme not only decorated your devices but also proactively reminded you about the movie’s release date and facilitated ticket purchases. These themes have proven to be enormously popular among users.
Initially, users had to select themes from a limited set manually. However, the beauty of Alexa’s evolution lies in its ability to intelligently determine the most suitable theme based on your preferences and recent interactions. Alternatively, you can still choose your preferred theme from a vast selection, curated using AI and machine learning, to ensure it aligns perfectly with your interests.
Recently, I had the privilege of getting a sneak peek at Amazon’s updated Alexa themes. What I witnessed was a testament to how this personal assistant AI can add an element of “fun” ambient intelligence to your daily life, whether you’re at home or on the go with Alexa-enabled devices.
The inspiration behind this innovation comes from how people love decorating their surroundings to reflect their interests. Alexa themes now proactively personalize your experience with custom voice responses, sounds, backgrounds, and more.
Ambient intelligence, in the context of computing, refers to technology that seamlessly adapts to your needs without intruding. Alexa themes are a significant step forward in this direction. They’re designed to be a digital decorator for your room, creating an atmosphere that aligns with your interests and preferences.
I tested these themes with my family, and the results were remarkable. Alexa intuitively understood us and could suggest and enable suitable themes. As Alexa gains confidence in your interests, the device progressively tailors the themed experiences.
For example, my soccer enthusiast partner set up an Echo Show 10 in his office and informed Alexa about his passion. Over time, Alexa recognized his support for the Seattle Sounders and Real Madrid. Accordingly, it enhanced his soccer-themed experience.
Similarly, Alexa learned our family loves Halloween in our kitchen with an Echo Show 15. As October 31 approached, Alexa gradually incorporated more Halloween-themed content, even offering Halloween avatars and augmented reality filters for our drop-in calls. The Halloween theme also made our ring security camera views more entertaining with decorated frames in the videos.
We were also eagerly anticipating the release of the new Spider-Man movie. Using Alexa’s “Follow” feature to stay updated on upcoming movies, Alexa suggested a Spider-Man theme created in partnership with Sony Pictures.
This theme brought Spider-Man imagery, quotes, and sounds into our daily interactions. What was particularly fascinating was the ability to create a unique Spider-Man story with Alexa. We could customize characters and plot points, and Alexa crafted a remarkable story with our animated characters’ narration.
Furthermore, Alexa seamlessly integrated this theme with options to print the illustrated story, order 3D-printed characters, and purchase movie merchandise. Our created characters were proudly displayed in custom-animated movie posters on our FireTV’s ambient screen. Alexa even reminded us of the movie’s release date and helped us buy tickets as soon as they were available.
The setup and management of themes have become more user-friendly. Instead of navigating the Alexa Skills store, you can discover themes during device setup or in a new on-device gallery under the “Customize Alexa” menu.
This new approach gives users complete control to manage or turn off themes anytime, whether because they’ve changed their mind or Alexa’s theme selection wasn’t entirely on point.
Amazon’s auto-enabled themes are a significant upgrade from the previous version of this feature, bringing a whole new level of personalized fun to your daily routine. With the power of AI and machine learning, Alexa now offers an even broader spectrum of themes, transforming your AI experience into a reflection of your unique interests and preferences. It’s a bold step toward ambient intelligence, where technology is seamlessly integrated into our lives, adapting and responding to our needs, all while
enhancing the fun and delight in our daily interactions with our AI companions.
Original Version
