At an annual conference for its AWS cloud computing service in Las Vegas, Amazon made the announcement about Q, its new business chatbot. This move is seen as a response to competitors who have already introduced chatbots that have captivated the public's attention. One such competitor is OpenAI, a San Francisco start-up that released ChatGPT a year ago, sparking widespread interest in generative AI tools. These tools have the ability to write emails, marketing pitches, essays, and other pieces of text that closely resemble human work.

While OpenAI initially had an advantage due to its partnership with Microsoft, the attention garnered by generative AI tools pushed other tech giants like Google to develop their own versions. These chatbots represent a new generation of AI, capable of conversing, generating text, and even producing images and videos based on the information they have learned from vast digital databases.

Amazon emphasizes that Q can be customized to fit the needs of individual companies by connecting to their own data and systems. This tailored experience is intended to provide more relevant and efficient assistance to employees. The technology is currently available for preview, indicating that Amazon is eager to establish its presence in the chatbot market.

However, despite being a dominant cloud computing provider, Amazon is not seen as a leader in AI research. According to a recent transparency index by Stanford University, Amazon ranked at the bottom among the top 10 foundational AI models. The lack of transparency poses challenges for customers who want to rely on the technology with confidence.

Nonetheless, Amazon has been actively investing in AI and expanding its services. In September, the company announced plans to invest up to $4 billion in Anthropic, an AI start-up founded by former OpenAI staff. Additionally, Amazon has been enhancing its popular assistant, Alexa, to engage in more human-like conversations and provide AI-generated summaries of product reviews.

As Amazon launches Q, it aims to bridge the gap and establish itself as a significant player in the world of generative AI chatbots. With its reputation as a cloud computing provider, the company seeks to leverage its existing infrastructure to compete with Microsoft, Google, and other tech giants in the AI space.