AWS Generative AI Accelerator: Amazon’s Desperate Bid for Relevance in the A.I. Revolution?

Amazon Web Services has made a desperate bid to remain relevant in the A.I. revolution with the launch of the AWS Generative AI Accelerator, a 10-week program offering access to A.I. resources, mentorship and $300,000 in AWS credits. But industry observers have quickly pointed out that Amazon’s true strength lies in its suite of cloud computing applications and that this new announcement is mostly about the company trying to get a foothold into the A.I. market.

Due to the startling success of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, A.I.-powered digital assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri and Google’s Assistant are no longer enough to keep Amazon competitive in the technology industry. It seems that Alexa is lagging behind its initial goal of becoming a significant platform, yet Amazon still holds a significant position in the industry, holding a 60% share of the market.

The AWS Generative AI Accelerator is Amazon’s attempt to stay relevant in the A.I. revolution. This 10-week program is designed to support early-stage technology startups by providing them with resources, mentorship, networking opportunities, and financial assistance. Amazon is interested in finding startups that are looking to use generative A.I. to solve big challenges and plans to select 10 startups to join the program. This program is also targeting for diversity in team composition as well as technical and non-technical leadership, in order to get the best results from the program.

It’s clear that Amazon wants to ensure its place as a platform for A.I. in order to remain competitive in the industry, but will it be able to achieve this? Some experts worry that the gains in AI-powered tokens are mostly driven by speculation, rather than by fundamentals, and that most AI tokens are ‘grifts’. Elon Musk also appears to be mocking the technology, resulting in a further drop in public confidence.

As the A.I. revolution progresses, Amazon’s attempt to stay relevant may not be enough. Despite their attempts, Amazon could still remain behind in the A.I. game, unless they find innovative ways to make use of the technology they are investing in. The 10-week AWS Generative AI Accelerator is certainly a step in the right direction, but will Amazon be able to make the most of the opportunity? Only time will tell.