Amazon's Alexa could become $10 billion business by 2020, RBC analysts estimate

Amazon.com's Alexa artificial-intelligence software could generate $10 billion worth of business a year for the company, stemming from device sales and voice orders from Amazon's site. Analysts with RBC Capital Markets tried to gauge Alexa's financial impact. It's a daunting endeavor given that it is the "very early days" for the software, the analysts wrote in a note distributed Friday. Nevertheless, their projections show that by 2020 the sale of products that incorporate Alexa -- the Echo line of devices, for example -- could reach $5 billion a year. Increased shopping on Amazon's site via voice commands through Alexa could mean another $5 billion in the pocket for the e-commerce giant.