Amazon Developing Multimodal AI Chatbot to Compete with OpenAI’s ChatGPT

New Delhi: Amazon is reportedly developing an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot intended to compete with OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The internal project, code-named Metis, aims to create a chatbot capable of performing various generative AI tasks, such as creating text content and responding to queries. Additionally, it will reportedly support image generation and have internet access. According to the report, this new AI platform could be launched in September 2024, coinciding with Amazon’s annual Devices and Services event.

Amazon could soon launch its own AI chatbot

According to a report by Business Insider, Amazon is aiming to directly compete with ChatGPT through its in-house AI model. Citing sources familiar with the project, the publication reveals that the project is code-named Metis, after the Greek goddess of wisdom, prudence, and deep thought. The chatbot is being designed for access via a web browser, similar to other popular AI chatbots.

An internal document obtained by the publication indicates that the Metis chatbot will be powered by Amazon’s in-house AI model, Olympus. This model is purported to be more advanced than the existing Titan large language model (LLM) that currently powers some of Amazon’s products. Functionally, the AI chatbot is expected to perform a range of text-based tasks, including engaging in conversations, answering queries, and generating content. Additionally, it is reported to have the capability to generate images, suggesting that Metis will employ a multimodal AI model. This feature distinguishes Metis from ChatGPT, which does not generate images but allows users to access DALL-E for image generation via subscription.

Metis to use retrieval-augmented generative AI framework: The Metis chatbot will reportedly work on the retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) AI framework. The mechanism improves the quality of responses by using a combination of text generation and information retrieval from large datasets. It is said that the chatbot will be able to access and retrieve information from the internet. For instance, it will be able to show near real-time stock price updates which is something many AI chatbots struggle with. However, both GPT-4o-powered ChatGPT and Gemini can do this. The report claims that the project is being developed by the company’s Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) division which is led by the Senior Vice President and Head Scientist Rohit Prasad. At the same time, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy is also said to be very involved with the project.

The report highlights that some employees are concerned that Amazon might be too late into the AI chatbot race, which is already getting a bit too crowded.