Amazon's new Echo Look device wants to be your AI-powered stylist
Amazon's Echo speaker lineup has a new off-beat iteration that turns Alexa into your very own personal stylist.
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The e-commerce giant on Wednesday introduced the Echo Look, an Alexa-enabled device equipped with a depth-sensing camera and LED lighting that will take pictures of your outfit, via voice command, and offer fashion advice through style-trained machine learning algorithms.
The Style Check feature, which is where the machine-learning algorithms come into play, is the brain of the Echo Look concept, and Amazon says it will get smarter over time based on feedback from users and fashion experts.
Style Check is one of the more interesting features of the Echo Look when it comes to e-commerce potential. The Echo Look's AI will judge your clothing, but also allow you to buy clothes off of Amazon and "help you discover new brands and styles inspired by your lookbook."
More importantly, the Echo Look has the potential to gather troves of data about its users, which can be used to send out super-targeted ads later on. Obviously, the device raises a bevy of privacy concerns, and Amazon hasn't addressed what exactly it plans to do with all those selfies and videos.
As an Echo speaker at its core, the device also lets you do things like play music, access your calendar, get traffic and weather updates, or order a coffee before heading out the door.
The Echo Look will cost $199 once available, but for now any interested users have to request an invitation to buy one.