Amazon Astro’s successor could embrace ChatGPT-style generative AI

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Big upgrade could give home robot contextual understanding

Amazon Astro
(Image credit: Amazon)

Amazon Astro is the very definition of a niche product. Still only available to buyers with an invite and with a price that’s just gone up $100 to $1,599, it’s years away from being a mainstream product to utter in the same breath as Kindle or Echo.

It’s also distinctly limited in its current form, essentially proving to be little more than a smart screen on wheels with the additional perk of being a roaming camera when you’re away. But the next generation could take things to a whole new level, according to internal documents seen by Insider.

What does this mean in practice? The site reports that Amazon’s aim is for a robot that can remember spotting things around the house and then “engage in a Q&A dialogue on what it saw.”

Currently, Astro’s camera is mainly used for security reasons, but it appears that Amazon is looking to expand that to be more useful too. The document reportedly includes examples where Astro could help track down your missing keys, check if a window has been left open or even see if the kids had friends over after school. 

A smarter Astro could also be used to reason and prioritize more important tasks, the report says. For example, if a robot comes across some broken glass, it could understand that this is a hazard, and try to sweep it up as a matter of urgency. 

Alan Martin
Alan Martin

Freelance contributor Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in between. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the web and in the occasional magazine too. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably find him tackling his ever-growing games backlog. He also handles all the Wordle coverage on Tom's Guide and has been playing the addictive NYT game for the last several years in an effort to keep his streak forever intact.