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Running AI is so expensive that Amazon will probably charge you to use Alexa in future, says outgoing exec

https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-could-introduce-alexa-subscription-outgoing-executive-says-2023-9

In an interview with Bloomberg, Dave Limp said that he "absolutely" believes that Amazon will soon start charging a subscription fee for Alexa

Running AI is so expensive that Amazon will probably charge you to use Alexa in future, says outgoing exec::In an interview with Bloomberg, Dave Limp said that he "absolutely" believes that Amazon will soon start charging a subscription fee for Alexa

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pyldriver

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God I wish, I would just love local voice control to turn my lights and such on and off... but noooooooooooo

Otkaz

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https://www.home-assistant.io

pyldriver

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I have home assistant, but have not heard anything good about rhasspy. Just want to control lights and be able to use it to play music and set timers. That being said I run home assistant right now and can control it with Alexa and Siri but.... I would like local only

Kolanaki

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I have that with just my phone, using Wiz lights and ITEEE. It's the only home automation I even have because it's the only one I found that doesn't necessarily need a special base station like an Alexa or Google Home.

AA5B

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But you want a local base station, else there’s no local control. You want to use local-only networks like z-wave, zigbee, Thread, Bluetooth, etc, even though they require a base station because that’s what gives you a local-only way of controlling things.

Matter promises a base station may no longer be necessary for smart devices to control each other, but it is rolling out very slowly

I also wonder what I’ll be able to do with the Thread radio in the iPhone 15 Pro

Kolanaki

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The base stations are what uses the cloud/AI shit. The setup I have doesn't even require an Internet connection or wifi; it's entirely bluetooth. Why in the hell would I want a base station that costs money, is controlled by Amazon or Google, and requires an Internet connection for my local shit?

I don't want a piece of hardware that does nothing but act like a fucking middleman for no good reason.

AA5B

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I’m a huge fan of Home Assistant. You might look into it

foggenbooty

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foggenbooty

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That is not necessarily true. Some base stations use the internet, yes, but not all. For example a Philips hue does not require internet access, nor does Lutron Caseta. As the other person posted, Home Assistant is the absolute best (IMO) way to do everything locally without the internet.

Your system, while it might work for you, does not scale well due to the limited range and reliability of Bluetooth. You'd likely be better off to adopt a more robust protocol like Z-wave, or ZigBee and get a hub that you have full control over.