Amazon has unveiled Alexa+, a significant upgrade to its voice assistant that incorporates advanced artificial intelligence technology. This revamped version, announced at a press event in New York City, represents the most substantial overhaul of the platform since its introduction over a decade ago.
Alexa+ employs what Amazon describes as a “model agnostic” approach, utilizing a sophisticated routing system that selects the optimal AI model for each specific task. The system draws from Amazon’s in-house Nova models as well as those from partner Anthropic, balancing requirements to deliver a conversational experience.
“We built a sophisticated routing system to match each customer request with the best model for the task at hand,” Amazon explained in a blog post. This flexibility enables Alexa+ to handle more complex interactions than its predecessor.
New capabilities
The enhanced assistant introduces several notable new features:
- Conversational interactions: Users can engage in flowing, natural conversations without repeatedly using the wake word “Alexa”
- Website navigation: Alexa+ can search the web to complete tasks such as finding repair services or booking reservations
- Service coordination: The assistant can orchestrate multiple services simultaneously, such as making dinner reservations, booking transportation, and texting contacts
- Content generation: Through partnerships with AI startups like Suno, Alexa+ can create custom music and stories on demand
Alexa+ also leverages a system called “experts” that orchestrate and execute both Amazon services and those from third parties. According to Amazon VP Daniel Rausch, the assistant will work with “tens of thousands” of devices and services from day one.
For information retrieval, Amazon has partnered with publications including Time, Reuters, The Associated Press, and Politico to provide current events, financial market data, and sports information.
Pricing and availability
Alexa+ will be priced at $19.99 per month as a standalone service but will be included at no additional cost for Amazon Prime members. The service will initially be available on Echo Show 8, 10, 15, and 21 devices, with Amazon claiming compatibility with “almost every” Alexa device released to date.
The launch follows a significant delay, as Amazon initially announced an AI-powered Alexa in September 2023 with an expected early 2024 release. According to reports, the company postponed the launch because the software wasn’t meeting quality standards during testing.
This revival of Alexa represents a critical test for Amazon’s consumer electronics strategy under Panos Panay, the former Microsoft Surface executive who now leads Amazon’s Devices & Services division. Panay emphasized at the launch event that prior to this advancement, “we were limited by the technology in what Alexa could be.”
The new Alexa+ enters a competitive landscape that includes AI assistants from Google, Apple, and OpenAI, but Amazon’s established presence in smart speakers may provide an advantage in bringing AI capabilities to consumers’ homes.
Sources: TechCrunch, Bloomberg, The Verge, VentureBeat