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Amazon Discontinues Celebrity Voices for Alexa

Amazon has announced that it is discontinuing celebrity voices for Alexa. The three Alexa voices – Samuel L. Jackson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Melissa McCarthy – are no longer available for purchase. Launched in 2019, the celebrity voices use Amazon’s neural text-to-speech model, which uses machine learning and is meant to sound more lifelike.

Background

The Verge was the first to report the news. The celebrity voices feature was launched in 2019, using Amazon’s neural text-to-speech model. This meant that the voices generated using machine learning technology aimed to sound more lifelike than previous iterations of voice technology.

Details

The three celebrity voices – Samuel L. Jackson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Melissa McCarthy – will no longer be available for purchase. Customers will be able to continue using these voices for a limited time and can contact Amazon’s customer service team for a refund. Jackson was the first voice to be introduced and could tell users jokes and stories or answer questions. However, customers who have already bought the Jackson voice can continue to use it until April 2023. On the other hand, users who have already purchased McCarthy and Shaq’s voices have until September 30, 2023, before the feature is no longer supported on Alexa devices.

Reason for Discontinuing

Amazon has not given a specific reason for discontinuing the celebrity voice feature, but it is widely speculated that limited adoption and cost-cutting measures could be among them. The feature is limited in regards to what the voices can respond to, and the number of people willing to spend $4.99 for just one celebrity voice is likely small. Additionally, Amazon has been looking at its devices division, which includes Alexa, as part of the company’s cost-cutting review. In recent years, Amazon’s devices segment had an operating loss of over $5 billion a year.

Conclusion

The discontinuation of the celebrity voice feature for Alexa marks the end of an era. Although the feature was introduced with much fanfare in 2019, it failed to catch on, and limited responses and high costs have been cited as the reasons for its ultimate discontinuation. For now, customers will be able to continue using these voices for a limited time, but it is clear that this feature has come to an end.

FAQs

Can I still use the celebrity voices for Alexa?

Customers who have already bought the Jackson voice can continue to use it until April 2023. On the other hand, users who have already purchased McCarthy and Shaq’s voices have until September 30, 2023, before the feature is no longer supported.

Why was the celebrity voice feature discontinued?

Amazon has not given a specific reason for discontinuing the celebrity voice feature, but it is widely speculated that limited adoption and cost-cutting measures could be among them.

Will Amazon introduce new celebrity voices for Alexa in the future?

Amazon has not made an official announcement regarding the introduction of new celebrity voices for Alexa in the future.

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