Hacker News with Generative AI: Amazon

Amazon introduces Nova Chat (aboutamazon.com)
Amazon makes it easier for developers and tech enthusiasts to explore Amazon Nova, its advanced Gen AI models

Amazon, Generative AI, AI Models, Cloud Computing, Tech

77 points by ao98 2 days ago | 54 comments

The Candid Naivety of Geeks (ploum.net)
Amazon recently announced that, from now on, everything you say to Alexa will be sent to their server.

Privacy, Technology, Amazon, Alexa

155 points by SlackingOff123 3 days ago | 83 comments

Banned Books: Analysis of Censorship on Amazon.com (2024) (citizenlab.ca)
The rise in online shopping has led to more global reach into markets that may otherwise be inaccessible for companies through traditional retail channels. This increased reach brings new opportunities but also has its own challenges for global e-commerce retailers. One such challenge is in dealing with different, more restrictive regulatory environments worldwide.

Censorship, E-commerce, Book Bans, Amazon, Regulation

104 points by gnabgib 5 days ago | 57 comments

Ex-Amazon worker sentenced to 3 years for 3 fraud schemes (seattletimes.com)
A former Seattle tech worker was sentenced Friday to three years in prison for three different fraud schemes, including embezzling more than a half-million dollars from his employer, Amazon.

Fraud, Seattle, Amazon, Technology, Crime

4 points by rwc9 7 days ago | 0 comments

The Document Culture of Amazon (2021) (justingarrison.com)
In my time at Amazon, I’ve observed the way we use documents is incredibly unique.

Amazon, Company Culture, Work Culture, Documentation

23 points by Tomte 14 days ago | 15 comments

Amazon accused of using algorithms to push warehouse workers to breaking point (theregister.com)
Amazon has used tricks, algorithms, and surveillance to discourage warehouse employees from unionizing, according to a paper published in the journal Socius.

Amazon, Labor Relations, Algorithms, Surveillance, Unions

10 points by LinuxBender 14 days ago | 1 comments

FTC Removes Posts Critical of Amazon, Microsoft, and AI Companies (wired.com)
The Trump administration’s Federal Trade Commission has removed four years worth of business guidance blogs as of Tuesday morning, including important consumer protection information related to artificial intelligence and the agency’s landmark privacy lawsuits under former chair Lina Khan against companies like Amazon and Microsoft. More than 300 blogs were removed.

FTC, Government, AI, Privacy, Amazon, Microsoft

306 points by gnabgib 14 days ago | 113 comments

Amazon to kill off local Alexa processing, all voice requests shipped to cloud (theregister.com)
Come March 28, those who opted to have their voice commands for Amazon's AI assistant Alexa processed locally on their Echo devices will lose that option, with all spoken requests pushed to the cloud for analysis.

Amazon, Cloud Computing, Privacy, Artificial Intelligence, Smart Home

457 points by johnshades 15 days ago | 132 comments

Amazon plans to lay off 14,000 managerial positions to save $3.5B yearly (techstartups.com)
Amazon is set to cut around 14,000 managerial positions by early 2025, aiming to save between $2.1 billion and $3.6 billion annually.

Amazon, Layoffs, Business, Technology, Cost Reduction

266 points by 05bmckay 15 days ago | 272 comments

Amazon Echo Will Start Reporting to Amazon on March 28 (mashable.com)
Owners of the Amazon Echo have long had the option for the device to process requests locally, thereby keeping their information off of Amazon’s servers. That functionality is going away starting on March 28.

Amazon, Privacy, Technology

5 points by saikatsg 16 days ago | 1 comments

The Alexa feature "do not send voice recordings" you enabled no longer available (discuss.systems)

Privacy, Alexa, Amazon, Software Updates

957 points by luu 16 days ago | 666 comments

Alexa's Privacy Backtrack: Amazon Pushes All Voice Data to the Cloud (reclaimthenet.org)
Amazon is stripping away a key privacy safeguard, forcing every Alexa request through its servers.

Privacy, Amazon, Alexa, Cloud Computing

5 points by mikece 17 days ago | 0 comments

Everything you say to your Echo will be sent to Amazon starting on March 28 (arstechnica.com)
Amazon is killing a privacy feature to bolster Alexa+, the new subscription assistant.

Privacy, Amazon, Alexa, Subscription Services

250 points by MBCook 18 days ago | 114 comments

Amazon Is Discontinuing the "Do Not Send Voice Recordings" Feature on Echo (resetera.com)
Amazon is discontinuing the "Do Not Send Voice Recordings" feature on Echo devices starting March 28th 2025 (voice recordings will be sent to Amazon).

Privacy, Amazon, Echo, Smart Devices

182 points by nickthegreek 18 days ago | 28 comments

The future of Amazon coders is the present of Amazon warehouse workers (pluralistic.net)
The future of Amazon coders is the present of Amazon warehouse workers: It's here, it's just not evenly distributed.

Amazon, Labor, Technology, Automation

34 points by NotInOurNames 19 days ago | 0 comments

FTC can't afford to fight Amazon's allegedly deceptive sign-ups after DOGE cuts (arstechnica.com)
The Federal Trade Commission is moving to push back a trial set to determine if Amazon tricked customers into signing up for Prime subscriptions.

Amazon, FTC, Lawsuits, Consumer Protection, Business

58 points by unclebucknasty 20 days ago | 10 comments

FTC can't afford to fight Amazon's allegedly deceptive sign-ups after DOGE cuts (arstechnica.com)
The Federal Trade Commission is moving to push back a trial set to determine if Amazon tricked customers into signing up for Prime subscriptions.

Amazon, FTC, Lawsuits, Consumer Protection, Technology

23 points by ndsipa_pomu 20 days ago | 4 comments

FTC Asks to Delay Trial Against Amazon Because of Lack of Money and Personnel (moomoo.com)

Antitrust, Law, Amazon, Government

4 points by belter 21 days ago | 0 comments

Jeff Bezos brings Amazon work culture to Blue Origin (arstechnica.com)
Jeff Bezos has moved to introduce a tough Amazon-like approach to his rocket maker Blue Origin, as the world’s third-richest person seeks to revive a company that has lagged behind Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

Business, Space Exploration, Amazon, Elon Musk, Blue Origin

5 points by _mitterpach 21 days ago | 1 comments

License to Shill: Inside Amazon's 007 Takeover, Impact on Future of James Bond (hollywoodreporter.com)
It’s the Bond movies’ most shocking plot twist in decades. But will the tech giant’s surprise buyout of the franchise prove deadly? Or could it breathe new life into cinema’s most famous spy?

Amazon, James Bond, Film Industry, Acquisitions, Franchises

6 points by herbertl 25 days ago | 0 comments

Bye, Prime (tbray.org)
Today I canceled my Amazon Prime subscription.

Amazon, Subscription Services, Personal Finance

188 points by HieronymusBosch 26 days ago | 181 comments

Amazon’s delivery drones are grounded in College Station, Texas (wired.com)
Amazon’s drones met more resistance in College Station, Texas, than in any other city in the US. Now they’re gone—and a sense of peace and privacy has been restored.

Amazon, Delivery Drones, Privacy, Technology, Texas

114 points by impish9208 30 days ago | 295 comments

Amazon is trying to stop people using AI to cheat in job interviews (businessinsider.com)
Amazon is cracking down on the use of AI tools in job interviews.

Amazon, AI, Hiring, Recruitment, Ethics

9 points by vedantnene 33 days ago | 4 comments

Amazon shuts down Chime, its Zoom alternative (techcrunch.com)
Amazon Chime, the tech giant’s underwhelming alternative to Zoom and Google Meet, is shutting down for good.

Amazon, Zoom, Video Conferencing, Business, Technology

29 points by bookofjoe 33 days ago | 13 comments

Bezos says WaPo opinion pages will defend free market and 'personal liberties' (apnews.com)
The billionaire owner of The Washington Post, Jeff Bezos, narrowed the topics covered by its opinion section Wednesday to defending personal liberties and the free market, a pivot away from its traditional broad focus and prompting the news outlet’s opinion editor to resign.

Media, Politics, Free Market, Amazon, Personal Liberties

11 points by ummonk 34 days ago | 1 comments

Alexa+ (aboutamazon.com)
Powered by generative AI, Alexa+ is your new personal AI assistant that gets things done—she’s smarter, more conversational, more capable, and free with Prime.

Generative AI, Artificial Intelligence, Amazon, Assistants, Prime

222 points by fgblanch 35 days ago | 339 comments

Amazon says that Alexa+ is 'model agnostic' (techcrunch.com)
Amazon says that the new and improved Alexa unveiled on Wednesday, Alexa+, is powered by a “model agnostic” system that’s always using the “best” AI model for any given task.

Amazon, Artificial Intelligence, AI Models

5 points by marban 35 days ago | 3 comments

Amazon announces AI-powered Alexa Plus (theverge.com)
Amazon is finally launching the long-awaited generative AI version of Alexa — Alexa Plus — that, if all goes well, will take away much of the friction that comes with talking to a speaker to control your smart home or getting info on the fly.

Amazon, Artificial Intelligence, Smart Home, Voice Assistants

4 points by meetpateltech 35 days ago | 3 comments

Bezos says WP opinion page will focus on 'personal liberties' and 'free markets' (theguardian.com)
Amazon executive and newspaper owner says in letter that ‘viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others’

Amazon, Free Speech, Media, Politics, Journalism

18 points by cempaka 35 days ago | 6 comments

Amazon Keeps Finding New Ways to Anger Kindle Customers (the-ebook-reader.com)
From forced software updates that keep breaking things to suddenly removing the ability to download purchased ebooks, Amazon has done a number of things to annoy and irritate Kindle users in recent years.

Amazon, Kindle, E-Readers, Customer Service, Consumer Issues

9 points by DavideNL 35 days ago | 3 comments