What Is Amazon's All New AI Powered Alexa+ and Who Can Use It?

You may have heard that Amazon just unveiled Alexa+. The company's much anticipated next-generation digital assistant completely rebuilt with generative AI technology. What does that mean you may ask, and what does it mean for current Amazon Alexa device owners? We'll try to break that down for you below!

The basic details:

• Alexa+ can connect and leverage multiple LLMs, including Amazon's Nova and Anthropic's Claude, choosing the best model for each task at hand.
• The revamped assistant can perform complex agentic tasks like booking reservations, ordering groceries, purchasing concert tickets, and more.
• Other features include document analysis, remembering user preferences, maintaining conversation context, and integration with hundreds of services.
• It will cost $19.99 monthly but comes free with Amazon Prime membership, with early access rolling out in the U.S. next month.

Amazon is rethinking the way Alexa works with what they are calling “experts”—groups of systems, capabilities, APIs, and instructions that accomplish specific types of tasks for customers along several different connected devices. For instance, Alexa+ expands on the way you can control your smart home with products from Philips Hue, Roborock, and more. Voice controls for things like smart lighting, thermostats and other devices are said to be more natural. So, if you’re speaking in half-formed thoughts, using colloquial expressions, or exploring complex ideas, Alexa+ will reportedly understand what you mean, and respond with a natural vibe and feeling sort of like you are interacting with a person rather than Alexa's computerized response system.

Amazon said Alexa+ is designed to take action and is able to orchestrate across tens of thousands of services and devices. You'll be able to use your favorite apps to do things more directly like make reservations or appointments with OpenTable and Vagaro; explore discographies and play music from providers including Amazon Music, Spotify, Apple Music, and iHeartRadio; order groceries from Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market, or delivery from Grubhub and Uber Eats. You'll even get reminders for things like tickets going on sale on Ticketmaster; or alerts from Ring and other security devices if someone is approaching your house.

The new Alexa+ is designed to be highly personalized and adaptable to your life. Alexa learns from your shopping, listening, and viewing habits, as well as your shipping and payment information. But Alexa's capabilities extend beyond this: you can enhance her usefulness by providing personal details. Teach her family recipes, important dates, facts, and dietary preferences, and she can apply that information to better assist you. Imagine planning a family meal; Alexa can remember that you love pizza, your daughter is vegetarian, and your partner requires gluten-free food, and use that knowledge to recommend appropriate recipes or dining options.

What devices can customers use Alexa+ on and when can we get it?

According to their release statement Amazon has said Alexa+ will start rolling out in the U.S. in the next few weeks during an early access period, and subsequently in waves over the coming months. Priority will be given to Echo Show 8, 10, 15, and 21 device owners in the early access period. Unfortunately for those of us with older generation Echo devices like Echo Dot 1st Gen, Echo 1st Gen, Echo Plus 1st Gen, Amazon Tap, Echo Show 1st Gen, Echo Show 2nd Gen, and Echo Spot 1st Gen, we won't be seeing the upgrade at this time and will be limited to the original Alexa. You'll also be able to try Alexa+ on your web browser, the Alexa app, compatible Fire TVs, and Fire tablets. You can check-out the new Alexa+ page for more details and to sign-up to be notified when Alexa+ is available for you.