In brief: Amazon has introduced a generative AI-powered version of its popular Alexa digital assistant. Alexa+ is driven by large language models from Amazon Bedrock, opening up a whole new range of capabilities, and will be available to try out in the coming weeks.
According to Amazon SVP of devices and services, Panos Panay, Alexa+ can perform tasks like ordering groceries from Whole Foods or Amazon Fresh, order takeout from Uber Eats or Grubhub, remind you when tickets for your favorite band go on sale on Ticketmaster, play music from most popular streaming services including Apple Music and Spotify, or book a reservation through OpenTable.
The enhanced service can additionally perform complex, multi-step tasks. For example, if the heating element in your oven goes out and needs to be replaced, Alexa+ can use the web to access Thumbtack, find a service provider in your area, and schedule the repair on your behalf.
Alexa+ is also personalized to each user. It knows what you like to listen to, what videos you have watched, what you've bought recently and where to ship items to, and how you like to pay for purchases. Users can even have Alexa+ remember things like important dates, dietary preferences, and family recipes, and apply that knowledge to certain situations – for example, a family dinner.
Alexa+ should be compatible with most of the 600 million Alexa devices already in the wild. Users will also have access via a new mobile app that'll be available in the Apple App Store and on Google Play, as well as on the web at Alexa.com.
Alexa+ is priced at $19.99 per month, but Prime subscribers will have access for free. Look for it to start rolling out in the US over the next few weeks as part of an early access period for Echo Show 8, 10, 15, and 21 device owners. Should everything go according to plan, Amazon will make Alexa+ available in larger waves in the coming months.
Image credit: Jonathan Borba
