Amazon Tablets Get An AI Upgrade

Amazon Fire tablets won't be left behind by its competitors as they announced a spate of AI-centric features that are rolling out to the just-announced Fire HD 8 refresh and a bunch of older models.

The features are standard upgrades, but they are still useful and fun. Amazon included an app called called Writing Assist, which is exactly what it sounds like. This tool easily integrates with the on-screen keyboard and should be compatible with any app on the tablet. It provides grammar assistance and will transform copy into a number of pre-set styles. This is a quick way to turn "what’s up with my paycheck" into something a bit more professional.

The appropriately-named Webpage Summaries offers up automatic rundown of several websites. This tool will "distill the key points in an article or on a web page" to give concise summaries. Amazon reported that it will catch readers up to speed "in a matter of seconds." This kind of thing is generative AI 101, as there are plenty of pre-existing tools that mimic this functionality. Still, it’s nice to have it native on Amazon tablets.

Finally, there’s Wallpaper Creator, which brings a chat prompt into the mix. Just type in what kind of background you want and let the power-hungry magic of AI do the work. Amazon says users can "choose from one of the curated prompt" or let their "imagination run wild." The company says the algorithm will create "unique, high-resolution" images that can be used as a tablet’s wallpaper.

All of these features will be available for the just-revealed Fire HD 8 refresh, but Amazon says they are also coming to other "compatible Fire tablets later this month."

As for compatibility, Writing Assist and Wallpaper Creator are coming to tablets released since 2022. Webpage Summaries goes a bit further back to Fire HD 10 and Fire HD 8 tablets from 2018 and newer.

This isn’t Amazon’s only dip into the exciting world of artificial intelligence. The company recently unleashed a shopping-focused chatbot and is working on another chatbot which has been codenamed Metis. It has also been reported that Alexa will soon be getting an AI-centric makeover, powered by Claude AI.