Amazon Alexa Plus AI-Powered Virtual Assistant Announced: All Prime Members Get it for Free

Amazon is introducing Alexa Plus, a generative AI version of its digital assistant. This new iteration aims to simplify interactions with smart home devices and provide quick information. Alexa Plus can perform tasks like ordering groceries or sending event invites. It will also remember personal preferences such as dietary habits and movie choices.

Alexa Plus is priced at $19.99 monthly but is free for Amazon Prime members, who pay $14.99 per month or $139 annually. This subscription includes access to the Alexa website for "longform work." A new Alexa app accompanies this assistant, compatible with most Alexa devices, starting with Echo Show models 8, 10, 15, and 21.

Enhanced Features and Capabilities

Alexa+ introduces advanced features like vision capabilities for taking and analysing images. It can engage in conversations from its wake word "Alexa" and suggest concert tickets or local businesses using Yelp. Additionally, it can book dinner reservations and create itineraries by researching trips.

The assistant retains smart home control functions, including managing cameras and lights. It can also establish routines on behalf of users. For music enthusiasts, Alexa Plus finds songs based on vague descriptions and can jump to specific movie scenes, though this feature requires multiple attempts during demonstrations.

User Interaction Improvements

Amazon has revamped the dashboard and UI on touchscreen Echo devices to enhance user interaction visually. New widgets are available for controlling smart home devices, which can be moved to a second page. A fluctuating blue bar at the bottom of the interface represents "Alexa," displaying animations called "Alexicons" that convey personality.

Amazon's SVP Panos Panay demonstrated Alexa's ability to reference smart home cameras when asked if someone had walked the dog recently. Mara Segal showcased document sharing with Alexa, allowing it to read handwritten notes or emails later. She also demonstrated how it could manage schedules using natural language.

AI Model Integration

Alexa Plus uses Amazon's Nova model alongside others from companies like Anthropic. It selects the best model for each task. The system draws data from partners such as The Associated Press and Reuters to analyse financial markets and sports events.

The assistant can answer questions about teams like the Boston Red Sox and track ticket availability over time. It even purchases tickets when needed. These capabilities are powered by hundreds of models Amazon calls "experts."

Partnerships and Collaborations

Amazon collaborates with firms like Uber Eats, Sonos, Wyze, Zoom, Xbox, Plex, Dyson, Bose, Grubhub, Levoit, and Ticketmaster to expand Alexa Plus services. Some features will be accessible via Alexa.com online.

The company partners with AI song generator Suno to enable song creation from prompts. An example was an AI-generated country song about a bodega cat during demonstrations.

Competitive Landscape

Amazon first announced plans to enhance Alexa with AI in September 2023 but faced challenges realising these ambitions by June 2024 amid executive changes within its devices team led by Panay after Dave Limp's departure.

The launch of AI-powered Alexa comes as it competes against digital assistants like Google Gemini and ChatGPT while Apple's Siri upgrade reportedly struggles too; however limited chatbot presence on smart speakers may present opportunities for Amazon's rapid deployment strategy through its speaker network globally.