Amazon has launched Alexa Plus, the next generation of its voice assistant, packed with artificial intelligence to enhance its capabilities significantly.
Amazon Reveals Alexa Plus
Announced at a live event held in New York City, Alexa Plus represents the most significant upgrade to the voice assistant since its initial launch in 2014. The new AI-infused system aims to improve the user experience with more conversational abilities and complex task management.
During the event, Panos Panay, Vice President of Devices and Services, provided a live demonstration of Alexa Plus’s new capabilities, showcasing its upgraded conversational abilities and overall functionality.
According to Panay’s demonstration, Alexa Plus can act as a “concierge, sous-chef, assistant, [and] house manager.” The new AI assistant showed impressive versatility and the ability to handle various everyday tasks. One notable upgrade is its ability to remember context, such as dietary preferences, when providing recommendations. For instance, if a user identifies as a vegetarian, Alexa Plus will take this into account when suggesting restaurants or recipes.
One demonstration showed Alexa Plus’ smarts when it comes to remembering context. For instance, if you tell Alexa you’re a vegetarian or have certain dietary requirements, it will take that into consideration when recommending places to eat or when you ask for recipes.
The assistant is powered by AI models developed by Anthropic and Amazon Nova.
A key feature highlighted during the presentation was Alexa Plus’s ability to maintain conversations. In a live demo, Panay asked, “I’m a little bit nervous about it, but we’re about to do live demos. What do you think can go wrong?”. Alexa Plus responded with, “With so many eyes on you, it’s natural to feel a bit nervous. As for what could go wrong, let’s just say Murphy’s Law is probably sharpening his pencil right now”. This exchange demonstrated the assistant’s enhanced sense of humor.
Other featured capabilities include smart home control, making restaurant reservations, connecting to calendars for event scheduling, and sending invitations. Additionally, the AI assistant includes vision powers, allowing it to scan documents and recall information later. The company has improved the assistant’s abilities since its initial reveal.
Pricing and Availability
Available as a subscription service, Alexa Plus will cost $19.99 per month. However, Amazon Prime members will receive complimentary access to the new voice assistant. This release is a big step forward for the Alexa ecosystem, offering users a more intuitive and helpful experience.
