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How AI chatbots get their quirky names
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Amazon’s AI assistant gets a canine-inspired name: Amazon has launched its latest AI shopping assistant, naming it Rufus after the company’s first office dog from its early startup days.

  • The AI-powered Rufus is designed to answer customer questions about products and assist with purchasing decisions.
  • Currently, Rufus can only respond via text and images, without voice capabilities.
  • The assistant has already answered over 100 million queries since its launch in the US, India, and the UK.

The story behind the name: Rufus, a Welsh corgi, played a significant role in Amazon’s early history and helped shape the company’s dog-friendly culture.

  • Rufus belonged to Susan and Eric Benson, two of Amazon’s earliest employees who joined the company in 1996.
  • The dog became an integral part of the office environment, participating in meetings and even “helping” launch website features.
  • Rufus lived to be 15 years old and inspired Amazon’s dog-friendly workplace policies, which continue today.

Tech industry’s penchant for quirky AI names: Amazon’s choice of Rufus follows a trend of tech giants giving their AI assistants unique monikers.

  • Google’s Gemini, originally codenamed “Titan,” references the collaboration between DeepMind and Google Research teams.
  • Apple’s Siri, acquired from another company, means “beautiful woman who leads you to victory” in Norwegian.
  • Amazon’s earlier AI assistant, Alexa, was named after the ancient Library of Alexandria.

Dog-friendly tech culture: Amazon’s dog-centric naming choice reflects a broader trend of pet-friendly policies in the tech industry.

  • Amazon currently has over 10,000 dogs registered as “working” at the company, with amenities like dog parks and treats available on campus.
  • Google also welcomes dogs in its offices, referring to dog-owning employees as “Dooglers” and featuring a dog park called the “Doogleplex.”

Rufus’ legacy at Amazon: The original Rufus continues to be honored within the company, even after his passing in 2009.

  • An office building in downtown Seattle, where the AI assistant was developed, is named the Rufus Building.
  • Rufus was once featured on Amazon’s error page, alerting users when something went wrong on the website.

AI assistant capabilities and future prospects: While Rufus is currently focused on enhancing the shopping experience, questions remain about its potential integration with other Amazon services.

  • Rajiv Mehta, Amazon’s vice president of search and conversational shopping, declined to comment on possible integration with Alexa.
  • The teams behind Rufus and Alexa are currently separate, leaving the door open for future collaboration.

Broader implications: As AI assistants become more prevalent in online retail, the personalization of these tools through relatable naming and backstories may help companies build stronger emotional connections with consumers.

  • The choice to name an AI after a beloved office dog humanizes the technology and ties it to the company’s history.
  • This approach could potentially increase user engagement and trust in AI-powered shopping assistants.
The weird way AI assistants get their names

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