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Amazon Alexa Has Now Been Upgraded With Generative AI
The famous voice assistant can adjust its tone and express emotions including excitement and surprise.
Amazon has announced an AI upgrade for Alexa that will make the voice assistant even more helpful. “Our latest model has been specifically optimized for voice and the things we know our customers love — like having access to real-time information, efficiently controlling their smart home, and getting the most out of their home entertainment,” explained Dave Limp, SVP of devices and services at Amazon.
The new generative AI model can also adjust its tone and responses, losing the robotic voice and expressing more realistic emotions like excitement, laughter, and surprise.
“The capabilities deliver unique experiences based on the preferences that you’ve shared, the services that you’ve interacted with, and the information about the environment in and around your home,” says Limp. “The new model will allow you to surface personal reminders. For example, it can help you with recently played music or even come up with recipe recommendations based on your grocery purchases”.
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In addition to the AI upgrade, Alexa now has the ability to continue conversations without the user saying “Alexa”. Overall, the latest upgrade should offer a richer, more convincing experience combined with improved functionality.
News
Paymob Extends Series B Funding To $72M Amid Continued Growth
The financial services provider has secured an extra $22 million after strong performance in its core market of Egypt.
Leading financial services provider Paymob has secured an additional $22 million in a funding extension, bringing its Series B total to $72 million.
The funding was spearheaded by EBRD Venture Capital, with support from Endeavor Catalyst. Existing backers such as PayPal Ventures, BII, FMO, A15, Nclude, and Helios Digital Ventures also participated, reaffirming their confidence in Paymob’s business model and potential in the regional fintech industry.
This extension comes on the back of Paymob’s strong performance in its core market of Egypt, where it has experienced 6x revenue growth since the initial Series B in Q2 2022. With the Series B extension and continued profitability in Egypt, Paymob is well-positioned to further its expansion strategy across the MENA region.
Islam Shawky, Co-founder and CEO of Paymob, commented: “We are very excited by our strong prospects in Egypt – where we hold a market-leading position – and the significant traction experienced in the UAE since launching operations there. This funding will help Paymob fully capitalize on the momentum in our established markets, as we accelerate our GCC roll-out. We remain committed to creating cutting-edge infrastructure enabling SMEs across the region to thrive in the digital economy and are proud of our continued impact”.
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The expansion into GCC markets has been driven by Paymob’s initial Series B funding of $50 million, raised in 2022 and led by Kora Capital, PayPal Ventures, and Clay Point. The investment fueled Paymob’s growth, allowing it to launch its mobile app in 2023 and grow its merchant base by 3.5 times, now serving nearly 350,000 merchants across MENA.
Paymob has also expanded its payment acceptance suite to offer 50 payment methods through its gateway, POS terminals, and the Paymob app, providing the region’s most comprehensive fintech solution. The company recently introduced embedded checkout services for Shopify and WooCommerce, further demonstrating its commitment to empowering small and medium businesses across the region.