Amazon Q: Can a Focus on Privacy Help New Business Chatbot Poach Users From ChatGPT, Bard?

Key Takeaways

• Amazon has unveiled its new AI chatbot: Amazon Q.
• The Big Tech firm’s latest product will compete with ChatGPT and Google Bard.
• Built with business users in mind, Amazon Q incorporates features that could give it an edge over rivals.

If Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbots represent the latest Big Tech arms race, it was only a matter of time before Amazon got in on the action. But with Google’s Bard and Microsoft-backed ChatGPT off to a strong start, the latest AI assistant to hit the market – Amazon Q – will have to catch up from behind.

Launched by Amazon Web Services (AWS) on Tuesday, November 28, Amazon Q is geared toward business users. Hoping to carve out a niche in the booming chatbot market, AWS is positioning its latest product as a solution to concerns over privacy and data ownership.

Amazon Q vs. ChatGPT – AWS Enters Competetive Chatbot Market

With Amazon Q, AWS confronts 2 Big Tech rivals with whom it has often competed for customers: Microsoft and Google.

Although all 3 companies have a strong track record in the AI space, the market for chatbot services is relatively new, having only kicked off in earnest with the release of ChatGPT in 2022.

Having initially invested $1B in OpenAI back in 2019, Microsoft has since doubled down on the partnership, plowing a further $13B into the company this year and throwing its weight behind the GPT family of AI models. 

Meanwhile, Google has opted to develop its chatbot business in-house, launching Bard this year. Although it plays second fiddle to ChatGPT, which is currently the most popular chatbot on the planet, Bard has managed to build a sizable user base nonetheless.

With ChatGPT and Bard being used hundreds of millions of times each month, Amazon Q might struggle to achieve similar results. However, AWS has opted for an alternative business model that could give its new chatbot a boost.

While both ChatGPT and Bard are available for free to individual users, Amazon Q is exclusively aimed at paying businesses, especially those already using other AWS services.

AWS Attempts To Alley Data Privacy Concerns

Taking a “data-first” approach, Amazon Q is designed to be integrated into existing workflows and can be plugged into companies’ internal databases. With a focus on AWS programmers and engineers, the new offering is oriented toward the growing demand for AI copilots and developer tools.

Moreover, in a bid to attract businesses that are concerned about letting AI handle their sensitive data, AWS is positioning  the new tool as a more secure alternative to rivals. 

The new chatbot incorporates the same AWS encryption solutions that have helped the firm become the world’s most popular cloud service provider. It also allows administrators to customize which users can access what information. 

Perhaps most importantly for firms concerned about securing their intellectual property, AWS won’t use Amazon Q users’ data to train AI models. 

AWS’ privacy commitments stand in stark contrast to Bard’s terms of use, which give Google free reign to collect and process users’ data. Instead, the new AI assistant aims to position itself as an alternative to ChatGPT Enterprise, which also allows businesses to retain more control over their data.

Ultimately, ChatGPT Enterprise is Amazon Q’s main competition. Both platforms offer enhanced performance, customizability, and security compared to free chatbots. They also have similar prices, with AWS’ latest product available for $20-$25 a month per user.