Amazon’s Alexa assistant is getting ads disguised as answers, according to a report from The Verge. The ads will appear as “interruptions” in the form of voice commands, and will offer products from Amazon and other companies. The Verge reports that the ads will be targeted at specific users based on their past behavior with Alexa. For example, Amazon may target users who have recently bought items from the company or who have used the assistant to make purchases on other websites. The ads are likely to be controversial, and they could potentially interfere with the user experience of Alexa. Amazon has not yet commented on the report. ..
They’ll be, in a way, ads disguised as answers, and they would presumably be shown only when someone asks something relevant to that brand. Whenever an answer to a question is coming from a brand, it’ll be clarified and the answer will be attributed to that specific brand. All answers will go through content moderation and quality checks, and brands will not be able to pay for answers, so theoretically, those two things should keep brands from abusing the system. Of course, though, that’ll depend on how good, or bad, those checks are.
If the system is done right, it could be a way for answers to some questions to be curated and, in turn, improved. And in the process, brands can get exposure. Everyone wins.
Source: AFTVnews
