Amazon unveiled its revamped virtual assistant, Alexa+, on Wednesday during an event in New York City. This new iteration of Alexa is designed to be more conversational and capable of performing real-world tasks, marking Amazon’s entry into the AI-driven virtual assistant era.
Features and capabilities of Alexa+
Alexa+ is powered by a combination of large language models, including Amazon’s in-house AI, Nova, and technology from Anthropic. It promises to be smarter and more interactive, allowing users to add events to their calendars, purchase concert tickets, and inquire about current events.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy noted, “Up until a couple of years ago, it was pretty difficult to invent with AI, and that changed with the arrival of foundational models and generative AI. This made the technology much more accessible, so people can see the power and magic of what generative AI can do,” Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said.”
Alexa+ can also remember personal preferences, such as dietary restrictions and movie selections, and suggest meal ideas accordingly.
For instance, users can ask Alexa+ to plan a dinner party by suggesting recipes based on their dietary preferences, creating a shopping list, and even booking a chef for the event.
Additionally, Alexa+ can assist with complex tasks like booking flights or hotels by browsing through travel websites and providing real-time updates on availability and prices.
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Alexa+ pricing and availability
Alexa+ will be available in the US starting next month, initially for screen-enabled Echo devices like the Echo Show 8, 10, 15, and the newly announced Echo Show 21.
The service costs $19.99 per month but will be free for Amazon Prime members. This pricing aligns with other premium AI services, like ChatGPT Plus.
The rollout will be gradual, with access restricted during the initial phase. As for international availability, Amazon plans to expand Alexa+ to additional countries later in 2025, though specific dates for the UK have not been announced.
