Experts explain why Amazon removed the 'Don't send recordings to the cloud' setting from Alexa

Amazon's smart speaker 'Echo' had a setting called 'Use voice recording' that records conversation contents and trains the voice assistant 'Alexa' with the aim of providing higher quality functions. If 'Use voice recording' is turned off, the conversation contents will not be sent to the cloud and privacy will be maintained, but in February 2025, Amazon announced that 'the option not to send conversation contents to the cloud will end on March 28, 2025.' Cathy Reid, a cybernetics specialist at the Australian National University, explains why this change was made and what changes will be made by changing the option.

Everything you say to an Alexa speaker will be sent to Amazon – starting today
https://theconversation.com/everything-you-say-to-an-alexa-speaker-will-be-sent-to-amazon-starting-today-252923

Amazon has notified some users of the smart speaker 'Echo' by email that the function to turn off 'Use of voice recordings' will be removed on March 28, 2025. On February 27, 2025, Amazon announced the next-generation AI assistant 'Alexa +' equipped with a large-scale language model and agent function, and the series of feature removals are thought to be measures to make the most of this Alexa +. Some users have expressed critical opinions such as 'This is a great opportunity to stop using Alexa,' but according to Amazon, only about 0.03% of Echo users had 'Do not send voice recordings' turned on.

Amazon to remove 'Do not send Echo recording data to Amazon's cloud' feature on March 28, 2025, so that all recordings will be sent to Amazon's cloud - GIGAZINE

Recordings sent to the cloud are used to distinguish speakers in the same home and provide a personalized experience, but you can delete or save recordings sent to the cloud. If you enable the Alexa 'Don't save recordings' setting, conversations will be automatically deleted once they are processed in the cloud, but you will not be able to use 'Voice ID,' which can provide personalized features such as distinguishing between different speakers and user-specific events.

Regarding the reason for the change, Amazon said, 'We decided to end support for this feature as we continue to expand Alexa's capabilities with generative AI features that rely on the processing power of Amazon's cloud.' Regarding privacy concerns, the company explained, 'Voice requests to Alexa are always encrypted as they are transmitted to Amazon's secure cloud and are designed with layers of security protections to keep customer information safe.'

Reed points out that the reason Alexa changed its functions is because 'it needs to generate revenue from Echo devices.' According to an analysis by voice assistant expert Joseph Turow, Amazon started selling Echo devices very cheaply as a ' loss leader ' aimed at attracting customers without regard for profitability, so it sold more than 500 million Alexa-enabled Echo devices, but lost more than $25 billion (about 3.7 trillion yen) between 2017 and 2021 alone. So Amazon is investing $8 billion (about 1.2 trillion yen) in AI startup Anthropic and is trying to use generative AI to rebuild its business, Reed said.

The 'agent function' included in Alexa+ can perform tasks that are tailored to the individual, such as reading tension from the user's tone of voice, informing you when a sale for a product you are interested in starts from your order history or search history, and searching for tickets you like by linking it with your ticket application account. Panos Panay, head of Amazon's Devices and Services Division, said, 'The new Alexa knows almost everything about your life, including your schedule, your smart home, your preferences, the devices you use, the people you connect with, and the entertainment you enjoy.'

Amazon announces 'Alexa+' equipped with generative AI, available free of charge for Amazon Prime members - GIGAZINE

Alexa+ requires a monthly subscription of $19.99 (approximately 3,000 yen), but is free for Amazon Prime members. Therefore, according to Reid, the Alexa+ subscription itself is not expected to generate revenue, but rather, the important thing is that Amazon acts as an intermediary between buyers and sellers by helping Alexa+ connect a specific person's preferences to an account. Service providers such as airlines and restaurant reservation companies will pay Amazon a commission when Alexa+ introduces users to their services.

Strengthening this platform capitalism is Amazon's strategy to recover its profits, and Reed explains that the removal of the voice recording option and strengthening AI cloud learning are to push out the agent function of Alexa+. Reed said, 'As Alexa+ becomes more useful, users will have to choose whether they are comfortable sharing data about their preferences with Amazon. For users who are resistant to the privacy settings of their Echo devices, a more private voice assistant may be a better choice. Users will face a trade-off between functionality and privacy and will struggle with their own place in the world.'