Social
Alexa Prize TaskBot Challenge Map
Ten university teams, one from Asia, three from Europe, and six from within the United States, have been selected to compete in the Alexa Prize TaskBot Challenge. Customers can look forward to interacting with the team's TaskBots beginning in October 2021.
Credit: Glynis Condon
Conversational AI

Ten university teams selected to participate in Alexa Prize TaskBot Challenge

Teams from three continents will compete to develop agents that assist customers in completing multi-step tasks.

By Alexa Prize team
May 26, 2021
4 min read
Share

Ten university teams, one from Asia, three from Europe and six from within the United States, have been selected to participate in the Alexa Prize TaskBot Challenge, the first conversational AI challenge to incorporate multimodal (voice and vision) customer experiences.

The teams will compete to develop agents that assist customers in completing cooking and do-it-yourself projects that require multiple steps and decisions. The year-long competition will conclude in May 2022, with winners being announced the following month.

Alexa Prize TaskBot Challenge
Ten university teams have been selected to compete in the Alexa Prize TaskBot Challenge. The competition will begin in September, and winners will be announced a year from now, in June 2022.
Credit: Glynis Condon

“Alexa already assists millions of customers in goal-directed interactions, such as ‘Alexa, play ‘Your Power’ by Billie Eilish’, or ‘Alexa, what’s the weather forecast for the weekend? With this new Alexa Prize challenge, we are now turning to multi-step and multi-modal task completion that can span hours if not days,” said Yoelle Maarek, vice president of research and science, Alexa Shopping. “I am delighted to see that so many quality university teams have expressed interest in addressing this hard AI challenge. This is a wonderful example of our customer-obsessed science approach where we join forces with academia to push the boundaries of science with the goal of delighting our customers.”

Success in the challenge will require the teams to address many difficult AI challenges, from knowledge representation and inference, and commonsense and causal reasoning, to language understanding and generation, requiring fusion of multiple AI techniques.

The ten teams selected to compete are:

  • Carnegie Mellon University
  • National Taiwan University (NTU)
  • NOVA School of Science and Technology (Portugal)
  • Ohio State University
  • Texas A&M University
  • University College London
  • University of California Santa Barbara
  • University of Glasgow
  • University of Massachusetts (Amherst)
  • University of Pennsylvania

Each team will receive a $250,000 research grant, Alexa-enabled devices, free Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud computing services to support their research and development efforts, access to the TaskBot Toolkit, other data resources, and Alexa team support.

The additional data sources the teams will be able to utilize in developing their agents include datasets from Whole Foods Market and wikiHow. These data sources will be readily available to teams via APIs, streamlining development efforts, and allowing the teams to deliver quality customer experiences.  

“Whole Foods Market is the destination for high quality, healthy food options, and we are thrilled to be a part of the Alexa Prize challenge this year,” said Sonya Gafsi Oblisk, Whole Foods Market chief marketing and communications officer. “We recognize cooking can be hard and time consuming for many reasons, especially if you are new to cooking or following a special diet. We can’t wait to see how these students will innovate to make it more convenient for families to cook delicious, healthy home-cooked meals.”

wikiHow logo
One of the data sources teams will utilize in developing their agents is the wikiHow dataset.
Credit: wikiHow

"wikiHow is very excited to partner with Amazon for the Alexa Prize TaskBot Challenge,” said Elizabeth Douglas, CEO of wikiHow. “We are delighted to contribute our DIY content to this challenge, because the goal aligns so closely with our mission of teaching everyone in the world how to do anything. We can't wait to see how the teams leverage our trusted step-by-step instructions to help customers successfully finish their tasks. Congratulations to the teams selected, and best of luck! We look forward to seeing the innovative ways that the Amazon Alexa TaskBot Challenge will help even more people learn how to do things."

The winning team will receive a $500,000 prize, and second- and third-place teams will receive $100,000 and $50,000, respectively. 

More information about the challenge is available on the TaskBot Challenge frequently asked questions page. Customers can look forward to interacting with the TaskBots starting in October 2021. 

Alexa Prize Socialbot Grand Challenge

The TaskBot Challenge is occurring in parallel with the SocialBot Grand Challenge 4 in which university teams are competing to create socialbots that can converse coherently and engagingly with humans for 20 minutes on a range of topics, from entertainment and sports, to politics and fashion.

Earlier this month, eight teams were selected to advance to the semifinal round of the competition, based upon customer satisfaction scores. The eight teams still competing are: 

  • Czech Technical University, Prague
  • Emory University
  • Moscow Institute of Physics & Technology
  • SUNY at Buffalo, New York
  • Stanford University
  • Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
  • University of California, Santa Cruz
  • University of Southern California

The finals for that competition will occur in July, with winners announced in August.  Similar to the TaskBot Challenge, the winning team will earn a $500,000 prize, with second- and third-place teams receiving $100,000 and $50,000, respectively. 

The grand challenge, a $1 million research grant, will be award to the winning team’s university if it attains a composite score of 4.0 or higher on a 5-point scale, and at least two-thirds of the socialbot’s conversations with interactors last for 20 minutes.

Customers can engage with the teams’ socialbots simply by saying, “Alexa, let’s chat”. 

The Emory University team, seen here, and its Emora socialbot are the winners of the 2020 Alexa Prize.
Emory University team wins Alexa Prize Grand Challenge 3
Last August, Amazon announced that Emory University was the winner of the 2020 Alexa Prize competition.
Learn more

Research areas
Tags
About the Author
Alexa Prize team

Latest news

The latest updates, stories, and more about Alexa Prize.
Load more

Work with us

See more jobs See more jobs
Applied Scientist III, Amazon - Ads Nova
US, NY, New York
Are you passionate about solving big problems from ground-up? Do you enjoy building new state-of-the-art products at internet scale? Come lead the innovation in this startup team, vertical ad products. This is a green field problem without a known answer or a pattern to follow. We have ambitious vision to simplify full funnel advertising solutions, at scale, with specialized agentic AI-powered models and diversify the demand to strategic verticals including finserv, autos, locals.. etc. We are seeking an experienced Applied Scientist to drive innovation in our Ads Foundational Model. In this individual contributor role, you will apply advanced machine learning techniques to improve advertiser performance and customer experience. Key job responsibilities As an Applied Scientist on this team, you will: 1. Develop and drive the science strategy for Ads Foundational Model (Ads-FM), aligning it with the program's objectives and overall business goals. 2. Identify high-impact opportunities within Ads-FM program and lead the ideation, planning, and execution of science initiatives to address them. 3. Build and deploy machine learning models using computer vision, natural language processing, and deep learning to evaluate and enhance ad effectiveness. 4. Develop algorithms that extract meaningful signals from image, video, and audio content to predict and improve customer engagement 5. Leverage Amazon's extensive data repository to create predictive models that generate actionable recommendations for more compelling ad creative 6. Collaborate with business leaders and cross-functional teams to implement ML-powered solutions 7. Contribute to the ML roadmap for the Ads-FM program through innovation and research.
Research Scientist II, Last Mile Science
IN, KA, Bangalore
Amazon’s Last Mile Team is looking for a passionate individual with strong optimization and analytical skills to join its Last Mile Science team in the endeavor of designing and improving the most complex planning of delivery network in the world. Last Mile builds global solutions that enable Amazon to attract an elastic supply of drivers, companies, and assets needed to deliver Amazon's and other shippers' volumes at the lowest cost and with the best customer delivery experience. Last Mile Science team owns the core decision models in the space of jurisdiction planning, delivery channel and modes network design, capacity planning for on the road and at delivery stations, routing inputs estimation and optimization. Our research has direct impact on customer experience, driver and station associate experience, Delivery Service Partner (DSP)’s success and the sustainable growth of Amazon. Optimizing the last mile delivery requires deep understanding of transportation, supply chain management, pricing strategies and forecasting. Only through innovative and strategic thinking, we will make the right capital investments in technology, assets and infrastructures that allows for long-term success. Our team members have an opportunity to be on the forefront of supply chain thought leadership by working on some of the most difficult problems in the industry with some of the best product managers, scientists, and software engineers in the industry. Key job responsibilities Candidates will be responsible for developing solutions to better manage and optimize delivery capacity in the last mile network. The successful candidate should have solid research experience in one or more technical areas of Operations Research or Machine Learning. These positions will focus on identifying and analyzing opportunities to improve existing algorithms and also on optimizing the system policies across the management of external delivery service providers and internal planning strategies. They require superior logical thinkers who are able to quickly approach large ambiguous problems, turn high-level business requirements into mathematical models, identify the right solution approach, and contribute to the software development for production systems. To support their proposals, candidates should be able to independently mine and analyze data, and be able to use any necessary programming and statistical analysis software to do so. Successful candidates must thrive in fast-paced environments, which encourage collaborative and creative problem solving, be able to measure and estimate risks, constructively critique peer research, and align research focuses with the Amazon's strategic needs. As a senior scientist, you will also help coach/mentor junior scientists in the team.
Principal Economist, Stores Economics and Science
US, WA, Seattle
This role will contribute to developing the Economics and Science products and services in the Fee domain, with specialization in supply chain systems and fees. Through the lens of economics, you will develop causal links for how Amazon, Sellers and Customers interact. You will be a key and senior scientist, advising Amazon leaders how to price our services. You will work on developing frameworks and scaleable, repeatable models supporting optimal pricing and policy in the two-sided marketplace that is central to Amazon's business. The pricing for Amazon services is complex. You will partner with science and technology teams across Amazon including Advertising, Supply Chain, Operations, Prime, Consumer Pricing, and Finance. We are looking for an experienced Principal Economist to improve our understanding of seller Economics, enhance our ability to estimate the causal impact of fees, and work with partner teams to design pricing policy changes. In this role, you will provide guidance to scientists to develop econometric models to influence our fee pricing worldwide. You will lead the development of causal models to help isolate the impact of fee and policy changes from other business actions, using experiments when possible, or observational data when not. Key job responsibilities The ideal candidate will have extensive Economics knowledge, demonstrated strength in practical and policy relevant structural econometrics, strong collaboration skills, proven ability to lead highly ambiguous and large projects, and a drive to deliver results. They will work closely with Economists, Data / Applied Scientists, Strategy Analysts, Data Engineers, and Product leads to integrate economic insights into policy and systems production. Familiarity with systems and services that constitute seller supply chains is a plus but not required. About the team The Stores Economics and Sciences team is a central science team that supports Amazon's Retail and Supply Chain leadership. We tackle some of Amazon's most challenging economics and machine learning problems, where our mandate is to impact the business on massive scale.
Microwave Design Engineer, Amazon Center for Quantum Computing
US, CA, Pasadena
The Amazon Center for Quantum Computing in Pasadena, CA, is looking to hire an Applied Scientist specializing in the design of microwave components for use in cryogenic environments. Working alongside other scientists and engineers, you will design and validate hardware performing microwave signal conditioning at cryogenic temperatures for Amazon quantum processors. Working effectively within a cross-functional team environment is critical. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of hardware development from requirements development to validation. Diverse Experiences Amazon values diverse experiences. Even if you do not meet all of the preferred qualifications and skills listed in the job description, we encourage candidates to apply. If your career is just starting, hasn’t followed a traditional path, or includes alternative experiences, don’t let it stop you from applying. Work/Life Balance We value work-life harmony. Achieving success at work should never come at the expense of sacrifices at home, which is why we strive for flexibility as part of our working culture. When we feel supported in the workplace and at home, there’s nothing we can’t achieve in the cloud. Inclusive Team Culture Here at AWS, it’s in our nature to learn and be curious. Our employee-led affinity groups foster a culture of inclusion that empower us to be proud of our differences. Ongoing events and learning experiences, including our Conversations on Race and Ethnicity (CORE) and AmazeCon (gender diversity) conferences, inspire us to never stop embracing our uniqueness. Mentorship and Career Growth We’re continuously raising our performance bar as we strive to become Earth’s Best Employer. That’s why you’ll find endless knowledge-sharing, mentorship and other career-advancing resources here to help you develop into a better-rounded professional. Key job responsibilities Our scientists and engineers collaborate across diverse teams and projects to offer state of the art, cost effective solutions for the signal conditioning of Amazon quantum processor systems at cryogenic temperatures. You’ll bring a passion for innovation, collaboration, and mentoring to: Solve layered technical problems across our cryogenic signal chain. Develop requirements with key system stakeholders, including quantum device, test and measurement, hardware, and theory teams. Design, implement, test, deploy, and maintain innovative solutions that meet both performance and cost metrics. Research enabling technologies necessary for Amazon reach commercial viability in quantum computing . A day in the life As you research, design, and implement cryogenic microwave signal conditioning solutions, you will also: Participate in requirements, design, and test reviews. Work cross-functionally to help drive decisions using your unique technical background and skill set. Define and maintain standards for operational excellence. Work in a high-paced, startup-like environment where you are provided the resources to innovate quickly.
Quantum Research Engineer, Quantum Computing
US, CA, Pasadena
The Amazon Center for Quantum Computing (CQC) team is looking for a passionate, talented, and inventive Research Engineer specializing in hardware design for cryogenic environments. The ideal candidate should have expertise in 3D CAD (SolidWorks), thermal and structural FEA (Ansys/COMSOL), hardware design for cryogenic applications, design for manufacturing, and mechanical engineering principles. The candidate must have demonstrated experience driving designs through full product development cycles (requirements, conceptual design, detailed design, manufacturing, integration, and testing). Candidates must also have a strong background in both cryogenic mechanical engineering theory and implementation. Working effectively within a cross-functional team environment is critical. Key job responsibilities The CQC collaborates across teams and projects to offer state-of-the-art, cost-effective solutions for scaling the signal delivery to quantum processor systems at cryogenic temperatures. Equally important is the ability to scale the thermal performance and improve EMI mitigation of the cryogenic environment. You will work on the following: - High density novel packaging solutions for quantum processor units - Cryogenic mechanical design for novel cryogenic signal conditioning sub-assemblies - Cryogenic mechanical design for signal delivery systems - Simulation-driven designs (shielding, filtering, etc.) to reduce sources of EMI within the qubit environment. - Own end-to-end product development through requirements, design reports, design reviews, assembly/testing documentation, and final delivery A day in the life As you design and implement cryogenic hardware solutions, from requirements definition to deployment, you will also: - Participate in requirements, design, and test reviews and communicate with internal stakeholders - Work cross-functionally to help drive decisions using your unique technical background and skill set - Refine and define standards and processes for operational excellence - Work in a high-paced, startup-like environment where you are provided the resources to innovate quickly About the team The Amazon Center for Quantum Computing (CQC) is a multi-disciplinary team of scientists, engineers, and technicians, on a mission to develop a fault-tolerant quantum computer. Inclusive Team Culture Here at Amazon, it’s in our nature to learn and be curious. Our employee-led affinity groups foster a culture of inclusion that empower us to be proud of our differences. Ongoing events and learning experiences, including our Conversations on Race and Ethnicity (CORE) and AmazeCon conferences, inspire us to never stop embracing our uniqueness. Diverse Experiences Amazon values diverse experiences. Even if you do not meet all of the preferred qualifications and skills listed in the job description, we encourage candidates to apply. If your career is just starting, hasn’t followed a traditional path, or includes alternative experiences, don’t let it stop you from applying. Mentorship & Career Growth We’re continuously raising our performance bar as we strive to become Earth’s Best Employer. That’s why you’ll find endless knowledge-sharing, mentorship and other career-advancing resources here to help you develop into a better-rounded professional. Work/Life Balance We value work-life harmony. Achieving success at work should never come at the expense of sacrifices at home, which is why we strive for flexibility as part of our working culture. When we feel supported in the workplace and at home, there’s nothing we can’t achieve in the cloud. Export Control Requirement Due to applicable export control laws and regulations, candidates must be either a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (i.e., current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum, or be able to obtain a US export license. If you are unsure if you meet these requirements, please apply and Amazon will review your application for eligibility.
Applied Scientist, Alexa AI
IT, Turin
As an Applied Scientist in the Alexa AI team, you will spearhead the advancement and deployment of state-of-the-art ML/RAG systems that revolutionize how millions of customers interact with Alexa. You'll leverage your expertise in machine learning, natural language processing, and large language models to create reliable, scalable, high-performance products that set new standards in operational excellence. Working at the intersection of research and production, you'll translate latest AI innovations into customer-facing features that delight users daily. Your work will span the full ML lifecycle—from analyzing customer behavior patterns and building novel metrics for personal digital assistants, to deploying automated training pipelines and conducting rigorous A/B testing across diverse devices and endpoints. Collaborating closely with business, engineering, and science teams across Amazon, you'll lead high-visibility programs that automate workflows and deliver measurable customer impact. This role offers the unique opportunity to publish at top-tier conferences while seeing your innovations scale to one of the world's most popular voice assistants, serving millions of customers globally. Key job responsibilities As an Applied Scientist in the Alexa AI team: - You'll analyze and model customer behavior at scale, building novel metrics for personal digital assistants across diverse devices and endpoints. Your work will involve creating deep learning, policy-based learning, and machine learning algorithms that directly impact customer experiences, translating complex data patterns into actionable insights that drive product innovation. - Your technical leadership will extend to building and deploying automated model training and evaluation pipelines, implementing complex machine learning and deep learning algorithms, and conducting rigorous model and data analysis through online A/B testing. You'll research and implement novel approaches that push the boundaries of what's possible in conversational AI. - Beyond model development, you'll ensure operational excellence by taking ownership of production systems, including on-call responsibilities during peak and non-peak hours. Working alongside Software Development Engineers, you'll deploy fixes and handle high-severity issues, ensuring our ML systems maintain the reliability and performance that millions of Alexa customers depend on daily. A day in the life As an Applied Scientist in the Alexa AI team, your day will involve collaborating with talented engineers and scientists to build scalable solutions for our conversational assistant. You'll dive into data analysis, experiment with novel algorithms, and iterate on models based on real-time user feedback. Working in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment, you'll tackle complex technical challenges—from debugging production issues to presenting research findings to stakeholders. Your self-motivated approach will drive you to swiftly deliver impactful solutions while maintaining the high standards that define our mission to revolutionize user experiences for millions of customers. About the team The Alexa AI team develops the intelligence behind one of the world's most popular voice assistants, serving millions of customers globally. We're a diverse group of scientists, engineers, and researchers united by our mission to make Alexa more natural, helpful, and delightful. Our culture thrives on innovation, collaboration, and customer obsession. We tackle some of the most challenging problems in conversational AI—from natural language understanding to personalization at scale. Here, you'll work alongside world-class talent, publish at top-tier conferences, and see your innovations impact customers daily. We move fast, think big, and celebrate both successes and learnings.
Applied Scientist, Alexa AI
IT, Turin
As an Applied Scientist in the Alexa AI team, you will spearhead the advancement and deployment of state-of-the-art ML/RAG systems that revolutionize how millions of customers interact with Alexa. You'll leverage your expertise in machine learning, natural language processing, and large language models to create reliable, scalable, high-performance products that set new standards in operational excellence. Working at the intersection of research and production, you'll translate latest AI innovations into customer-facing features that delight users daily. Your work will span the full ML lifecycle—from analyzing customer behavior patterns and building novel metrics for personal digital assistants, to deploying automated training pipelines and conducting rigorous A/B testing across diverse devices and endpoints. Collaborating closely with business, engineering, and science teams across Amazon, you'll lead high-visibility programs that automate workflows and deliver measurable customer impact. This role offers the unique opportunity to publish at top-tier conferences while seeing your innovations scale to one of the world's most popular voice assistants, serving millions of customers globally. Key job responsibilities As an Applied Scientist in the Alexa AI team: - You'll analyze and model customer behavior at scale, building novel metrics for personal digital assistants across diverse devices and endpoints. Your work will involve creating deep learning, policy-based learning, and machine learning algorithms that directly impact customer experiences, translating complex data patterns into actionable insights that drive product innovation. - Your technical leadership will extend to building and deploying automated model training and evaluation pipelines, implementing complex machine learning and deep learning algorithms, and conducting rigorous model and data analysis through online A/B testing. You'll research and implement novel approaches that push the boundaries of what's possible in conversational AI. - Beyond model development, you'll ensure operational excellence by taking ownership of production systems, including on-call responsibilities during peak and non-peak hours. Working alongside Software Development Engineers, you'll deploy fixes and handle high-severity issues, ensuring our ML systems maintain the reliability and performance that millions of Alexa customers depend on daily. A day in the life As an Applied Scientist in the Alexa AI team, your day will involve collaborating with talented engineers and scientists to build scalable solutions for our conversational assistant. You'll dive into data analysis, experiment with novel algorithms, and iterate on models based on real-time user feedback. Working in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment, you'll tackle complex technical challenges—from debugging production issues to presenting research findings to stakeholders. Your self-motivated approach will drive you to swiftly deliver impactful solutions while maintaining the high standards that define our mission to revolutionize user experiences for millions of customers. About the team The Alexa AI team develops the intelligence behind one of the world's most popular voice assistants, serving millions of customers globally. We're a diverse group of scientists, engineers, and researchers united by our mission to make Alexa more natural, helpful, and delightful. Our culture thrives on innovation, collaboration, and customer obsession. We tackle some of the most challenging problems in conversational AI—from natural language understanding to personalization at scale. Here, you'll work alongside world-class talent, publish at top-tier conferences, and see your innovations impact customers daily. We move fast, think big, and celebrate both successes and learnings.
Applied Scientist, Alexa AI
IT, Turin
As an Applied Scientist in the Alexa AI team, you will spearhead the advancement and deployment of state-of-the-art ML/RAG systems that revolutionize how millions of customers interact with Alexa. You'll leverage your expertise in machine learning, natural language processing, and large language models to create reliable, scalable, high-performance products that set new standards in operational excellence. Working at the intersection of research and production, you'll translate latest AI innovations into customer-facing features that delight users daily. Your work will span the full ML lifecycle—from analyzing customer behavior patterns and building novel metrics for personal digital assistants, to deploying automated training pipelines and conducting rigorous A/B testing across diverse devices and endpoints. Collaborating closely with business, engineering, and science teams across Amazon, you'll lead high-visibility programs that automate workflows and deliver measurable customer impact. This role offers the unique opportunity to publish at top-tier conferences while seeing your innovations scale to one of the world's most popular voice assistants, serving millions of customers globally. Key job responsibilities As an Applied Scientist in the Alexa AI team: - You'll analyze and model customer behavior at scale, building novel metrics for personal digital assistants across diverse devices and endpoints. Your work will involve creating deep learning, policy-based learning, and machine learning algorithms that directly impact customer experiences, translating complex data patterns into actionable insights that drive product innovation. - Your technical leadership will extend to building and deploying automated model training and evaluation pipelines, implementing complex machine learning and deep learning algorithms, and conducting rigorous model and data analysis through online A/B testing. You'll research and implement novel approaches that push the boundaries of what's possible in conversational AI. - Beyond model development, you'll ensure operational excellence by taking ownership of production systems, including on-call responsibilities during peak and non-peak hours. Working alongside Software Development Engineers, you'll deploy fixes and handle high-severity issues, ensuring our ML systems maintain the reliability and performance that millions of Alexa customers depend on daily. A day in the life As an Applied Scientist in the Alexa AI team, your day will involve collaborating with talented engineers and scientists to build scalable solutions for our conversational assistant. You'll dive into data analysis, experiment with novel algorithms, and iterate on models based on real-time user feedback. Working in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment, you'll tackle complex technical challenges—from debugging production issues to presenting research findings to stakeholders. Your self-motivated approach will drive you to swiftly deliver impactful solutions while maintaining the high standards that define our mission to revolutionize user experiences for millions of customers. About the team The Alexa AI team develops the intelligence behind one of the world's most popular voice assistants, serving millions of customers globally. We're a diverse group of scientists, engineers, and researchers united by our mission to make Alexa more natural, helpful, and delightful. Our culture thrives on innovation, collaboration, and customer obsession. We tackle some of the most challenging problems in conversational AI—from natural language understanding to personalization at scale. Here, you'll work alongside world-class talent, publish at top-tier conferences, and see your innovations impact customers daily. We move fast, think big, and celebrate both successes and learnings.
Applied Scientist, Alexa AI
IT, Turin
As an Applied Scientist in the Alexa AI team, you will spearhead the advancement and deployment of state-of-the-art ML/RAG systems that revolutionize how millions of customers interact with Alexa. You'll leverage your expertise in machine learning, natural language processing, and large language models to create reliable, scalable, high-performance products that set new standards in operational excellence. Working at the intersection of research and production, you'll translate latest AI innovations into customer-facing features that delight users daily. Your work will span the full ML lifecycle—from analyzing customer behavior patterns and building novel metrics for personal digital assistants, to deploying automated training pipelines and conducting rigorous A/B testing across diverse devices and endpoints. Collaborating closely with business, engineering, and science teams across Amazon, you'll lead high-visibility programs that automate workflows and deliver measurable customer impact. This role offers the unique opportunity to publish at top-tier conferences while seeing your innovations scale to one of the world's most popular voice assistants, serving millions of customers globally. Key job responsibilities As an Applied Scientist in the Alexa AI team: - You'll analyze and model customer behavior at scale, building novel metrics for personal digital assistants across diverse devices and endpoints. Your work will involve creating deep learning, policy-based learning, and machine learning algorithms that directly impact customer experiences, translating complex data patterns into actionable insights that drive product innovation. - Your technical leadership will extend to building and deploying automated model training and evaluation pipelines, implementing complex machine learning and deep learning algorithms, and conducting rigorous model and data analysis through online A/B testing. You'll research and implement novel approaches that push the boundaries of what's possible in conversational AI. - Beyond model development, you'll ensure operational excellence by taking ownership of production systems, including on-call responsibilities during peak and non-peak hours. Working alongside Software Development Engineers, you'll deploy fixes and handle high-severity issues, ensuring our ML systems maintain the reliability and performance that millions of Alexa customers depend on daily. A day in the life As an Applied Scientist in the Alexa AI team, your day will involve collaborating with talented engineers and scientists to build scalable solutions for our conversational assistant. You'll dive into data analysis, experiment with novel algorithms, and iterate on models based on real-time user feedback. Working in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment, you'll tackle complex technical challenges—from debugging production issues to presenting research findings to stakeholders. Your self-motivated approach will drive you to swiftly deliver impactful solutions while maintaining the high standards that define our mission to revolutionize user experiences for millions of customers. About the team The Alexa AI team develops the intelligence behind one of the world's most popular voice assistants, serving millions of customers globally. We're a diverse group of scientists, engineers, and researchers united by our mission to make Alexa more natural, helpful, and delightful. Our culture thrives on innovation, collaboration, and customer obsession. We tackle some of the most challenging problems in conversational AI—from natural language understanding to personalization at scale. Here, you'll work alongside world-class talent, publish at top-tier conferences, and see your innovations impact customers daily. We move fast, think big, and celebrate both successes and learnings.
Human-Robot Interaction Applied Scientist , Fauna
US, NY, New York
We are seeking a Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) Applied Scientist to develop cutting-edge interactions that make robots feel alive, personal, and fun. In this role, you will focus on verbal and non-verbal conversational systems, social dynamics, memory, and long-term relationship formation between robots, their environments, and the people they interact with. Your contributions will be essential in advancing robotics by enabling expressive, socially intelligent, and trustworthy interactions between robots and humans. Key job responsibilities - Develop interactive systems that leverage large language models, multimodal inputs and outputs, reinforcement learning from human feedback, or other advanced techniques to achieve fluid, engaging, and socially appropriate robot behavior - Design and implement intelligent conversational systems that handle turn-taking, grounding, interruption, and incorporates context drawn from a robot's physical environment and shared history with a user - Integrate perceptual sensor streams including gaze, facial expression, gesture, posture, and more to understand social context and produce coherent, lifelike interactions. - Develop memory and personalization systems that allow robots to form lasting relationships with individual users, learn their environments, and adapt their behavior over weeks and months - Stay updated on advancements in HRI, NLP, multimodal AI, and cognitive and social science to apply cutting-edge techniques to robot interaction challenges - Lead technical projects from conception through production deployment - Mentor junior scientists and engineers - Bridge research initiatives with practical engineering implementation
See more jobs
View from space of a connected network around planet Earth representing the Internet of Things.
Get more from Amazon Science
Subscribe to our newsletter

Amazon.com | Conditions of Use | Privacy | © 1996-2026 Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates

Social