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- Amazon has revealed a long-anticipated update to its Alexa digital assistant.
- The company announced that Alexa+ will start to be deployed in the United States within the upcoming weeks.
- Amazon has dedicated several years to enhancing Alexa by incorporating generative AI capabilities.
Amazon announced on Wednesday a significant update to its Alexa digital assistant, introducing a subscription model for access to the enhanced service.
What is Amazon Alexa+
The newly launched service, referred to as “Alexa+,” utilizes generative artificial intelligence, as stated by Panos Panay, the company’s senior vice president of devices and services, during an event in New York.
For the first time, Amazon will implement a fee for users to access a version of Alexa. The subscription will cost $19.99 per month, although it will be available at no charge for Amazon Prime members, with early access set to begin next month.
“Occasionally, a technology emerges that transforms everything,” Panay remarked. “[Large language models] have arrived and fundamentally altered our perception of AI. … It has disrupted the entire landscape.”
Alexa+ is capable of purchasing concert tickets, ordering groceries, making dinner reservations, and providing personalized recipe suggestions for individuals within a household, among various other functions. Additionally, it can read study guides and quiz users on the material, as well as organize handwritten documents and retrieve information from them.
“She will adapt to the rhythm of your life and take proactive actions alongside you,” Panay added.
Enhanced Capabilities
Alexa+ possesses advanced agentic capabilities, allowing the voice assistant to perform tasks online on behalf of the user. For example, if a user requires oven repair, they can instruct Alexa, which will then search the internet, identify suitable service providers, verify their credentials, schedule the repair, and relay the pertinent details back to the user. According to Amazon, this entire procedure will be automated, eliminating the need for user oversight.
Furthermore, personalization features are being enhanced with Alexa+. The AI-driven voice assistant can access user activities across Amazon services to gather information such as shipping addresses, payment preferences, and viewing habits. Users can also request that Alexa remember specific details, including significant dates and dietary preferences. This information will enable Alexa to tailor its future responses accordingly.
Additionally, Alexa+ will enhance the management of smart home devices. It can proactively notify users about package deliveries or visitors to their home. Moreover, it has the capability to remember future commands and execute them at designated times.
The inclusion of computer vision allows users to upload documents and images for analysis. Alexa+ can summarize the content and respond to inquiries related to the uploaded materials.
Cost and Availability of Amazon Alexa+ AI
Initially, it will be accessible on the Echo Show 8, 10, 15, and 21, with plans to extend availability to additional devices and platforms in the future. Users can subscribe to Alexa+ for a monthly fee of $19.99 (approximately Rs. 1,740). However, existing Amazon Prime subscribers will receive this service at no additional cost.
