Alexa is getting a GenAI makeover, and it could be the biggest, most polished AI update to a product yet. The long-awaited new version of Amazon’s voice assistant is called Alexa Plus and it’s smarter, more personal and understands context better. It’s rolling out to Echo Show devices starting next month. While it costs $19.99 per month, it’ll be free for Amazon Prime members, which also includes access to the new Alexa website.
“While the vision of Alexa has been ambitious and incredibly compelling, right until this moment, we have been limited by technology,” says Panos Panay, Amazon Devices & Services Senior Vice President. And generative AI changes that.
After more than 10 years of existence, Alexa is finally getting more natural and personalized. The new Alexa Plus understands context and meaning to be more conversational. It can carry conversations after uttering its wake word, “Alexa.” As per the demos, it feels more personal and less robotic. It learns from you as you use it, and you can add details about yourself that it’ll remember for future conversations.
For instance, you can tell Alexa Plus that you’re a vegetarian, so next time you ask it for a food place suggestion or what to make based on the ingredients you have at hand, it’ll suggest vegetarian options. It understands and remembers your and your family’s dietary preferences, allergies, and weekly traditions.
You can still control smart devices with your voice, but it can now detect specifics from the camera recordings. For example, Panos demoed on stage how to check if somebody walked the dog yesterday, and Alexa Plus brought up recordings of people walking dogs outside his home. You can use services from firms like Uber Eats, Zoom, Sonos, Wyze, Xbox, Bose, Plex, and more.
Alexa Plus can perform tasks for you—from booking tickets to finding Uber rides. The company has partnered with multiple media sources like Forbes, The Associated Press, Reuters, and more to draw data to analyze and deliver results when asked about news, sports, stock markets, etc. It’s a model-agnostic system, which lets the Amazon smart assistant choose the best model for the task at hand.
Amazon also announced two new features for Amazon Kids+ subscribers, “Stories with Alexa” and “Explore with Alexa.” These are meant to “inspire and encourage kids’ limitless curiosity and creativity.”
Alexa Plus is a huge update to the current capabilities. One of my demos included jumping to a specific scene in a movie—like a lot of other stuff, it wasn’t possible up until now. Amazon’s Alexa Plus also features a new dashboard with overhauled widgets and slick animations. It’ll be rolling out in the USA with the Echo Show 8, 10, 15, and 21 starting March for $19.99 per month, but will be free for Prime members.
