Amazon may be putting Alexa, its AI assistant, into an upcoming tablet-style device, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal today.
The device, code-named “Knight,” will let users navigate screens with their voice, pulling up web pages, images and videos while their hands focus on other tasks. The Journal calls out cooking as a potential application, an area in which the Alexa-powered Echo already excels.
The device is reportedly in development by Lab126, Amazon’s most inventive hardware unit. The same division developed the original Echo, along with the wacky new Kindle Oasis.
The report details Amazon’s growing interest in improving the Echo, both with improved software integrations and new hardware. The company has even partnered with other manufacturers to bring Alexa to other speakers and eventually cars.
However, Amazon doesn’t currently have any plans to monetize Alexa beyond letting users purchase items from the retailer’s site with their voice. While we could see paid app integrations down the road, Amazon’s only path right now for profiting off the AI comes via the investments it has made into other companies building with Alexa.
