Amazon has introduced Alexa+, the artificial intelligence-powered version of its voice assistant, marking a significant upgrade in its capabilities. The new voice assistant, announced on Wednesday, boasts advanced contextual understanding, improved smart home control, and a personalised experience tailored to individual user's behaviour. Alexa+ features agentic capabilities, enabling it to complete tasks on the internet without direct user supervision.
The AI-powered assistant is designed to be “more conversational, smarter, and personalised,” an Amazon official said.
Alexa+ will function as a standalone service but will also be included with Amazon Prime at no additional cost. Amazon will begin rolling out Alexa+ in the coming weeks, initially offering it in the United States via an early access programme.
Unlike its predecessors, Alexa+ utilises a model-agnostic system. While its core framework is built on Amazon’s Nova model, it can also integrate third-party AI models through Amazon Bedrock, including those developed by Anthropic. This enhancement enables the assistant to select the most suitable AI model for a given task, improving efficiency and responsiveness.
The AI-driven assistant can now complete a wide range of complex tasks, such as making reservations, setting appointments, and managing smart home devices with increased precision. Furthermore, it can find and play music from services including Amazon Music, Spotify, and Apple Music, even when users provide only vague descriptions.
One of the standout features of Alexa+ is its ability to execute tasks independently on the internet. For instance, if a user needs their oven repaired, they can simply ask Alexa+, which will search online, identify suitable service providers, verify credentials, arrange an appointment, and relay the details to the user—all without requiring further intervention.
Personalisation has been significantly improved in Alexa+. The voice assistant can access users' interactions across Amazon services, recognising preferred shipping addresses, payment details, and frequently watched content. Users can also instruct Alexa+ to remember specific details such as important dates and dietary preferences.
Additionally, the upgraded assistant enhances smart home management. It can proactively alert users when a package is delivered, detect when someone visits their home, and execute scheduled commands with greater accuracy.
Amazon is also launching a new Android and iOS app, as well as a dedicated website for Alexa+. These additions will allow users to continue conversations across multiple platforms, whether they begin on a smart speaker, smartphone, or web browser.
(By arrangement with livemint.com)
