Amazon Developing Advanced Generative AI Model 'Olympus'

Amazon is reportedly working on a new generative AI model, codenamed Olympus, designed to process images, videos, and text, according to The Information. This development is part of the e-commerce giant's strategy to reduce reliance on third-party AI tools, including Anthropic’s Claude chatbot, which is widely used on Amazon Web Services (AWS).

The Olympus large language model (LLM) is expected to enhance user experiences by interpreting complex visual and textual data. "The new large language model will be able to understand scenes in images and videos and help customers search for specific scenes, such as a winning basketball shot, using simple text prompts," the report stated.

Amazon’s investment in AI technology has been significant, including a $4 billion funding commitment to Anthropic earlier this year. This move followed a similar $4 billion investment in 2023, showcasing Amazon’s focus on generative AI innovation.

The company’s competitors, including Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI, have been perceived as leaders in the generative AI space, a position Amazon aims to challenge with Olympus. Industry insiders suggest the model could be unveiled at the annual AWS re:Invent customer conference, scheduled to take place soon.

Amazon has not officially commented on the development of Olympus or responded to inquiries from Reuters outside regular business hours. However, this initiative underscores the company’s broader ambition to advance AI capabilities across its ecosystem.