For those unfamiliar with the feature, the celebrity voices were add-ons for Alexa, transforming the device’s usual voice into that of a famous personality. However, their capabilities were limited compared to the full range of features offered by Alexa. The celebrity voices did not integrate with many skills or offer reminders but were able to tell jokes, answer questions, and perform basic voice-assisted tasks. The feature initially launched in 2019 with Samuel L. Jackson’s voice and later expanded to include Shaq and Melissa McCarthy.
The decision to discontinue the celebrity voice feature may be attributed to various factors. Alexa’s popularity has slightly waned, and Amazon’s hardware division recently laid off several employees involved in the design and manufacturing of Echo speakers. Additionally, the limited feature set of the celebrity voices may not have garnered sufficient user adoption to offset the licensing costs. Finally, reports suggest that Amazon is developing its own large language model (LLM), similar to ChatGPT, to transform Alexa, which may no longer align with the integration of celebrity voices.
