[1/2]A screen in a Cadillac XT6 SUV displays Alexa on the infotainment system at the Amazon booth during the 2020 CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. January 7, 2020. REUTERS/Steve Marcus/File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights
Nov 17 (Reuters) – Amazon.com (AMZN.O) on Friday announced it is trimming roles at its Alexa voice assistant unit, citing “shifting” business priorities and a greater focus on generative artificial intelligence.
The cuts affect “several hundred” employees working on Alexa, according to the email. A spokeswoman declined to elaborate on exactly how many were affected.
“We’re shifting some of our efforts to better align with our business priorities, and what we know matters most to customers – which includes maximizing our resources and efforts focused on generative AI,” Daniel Rausch, vice president of Alexa and Fire TV, said in the email. “These shifts are leading us to discontinue some initiatives.”
Amazon has been pulling back in a variety of divisions over the past week, including in its music and gaming divisions and some human resources roles.
Reporting by Greg Bensinger in San Francisco; editing by Kenneth Li, Chizu Nomiyama and Jonathan Oatis
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