Amazon has unveiled an ambitious update to its voice assistant with the launch of Alexa+. This new service powered by generative artificial intelligence It seeks to offer a more conversational, natural and personalized experience, establishing itself as an assistant capable of carrying out complex tasks.
The presentation event, held in New York, was led by Panos Panay, Vice President of Amazon Devices and Services, who highlighted the evolution of the assistant since its launch in 2014 and the need to adapt to current technological advances.
An artificial intelligence that does more than answer questions
Alexa+ is no longer limited to answering simple queries, but is now capable of manage multiple actionsIn demonstrations offered during the event, the attendee was able to reserve a table at a restaurant, send messages to a babysitter and organize the user's schedule in a matter of seconds.
Furthermore, Its ability to integrate with other services has been greatly expanded. We can now order food via UberEats, book rides with Uber, or even manage our smart home devices with more natural and fluid commands.
More natural and personalized interaction
One of the highlights of Alexa+ is its ability to understanding the user's tone of voice and adapt its response accordingly. This allows it, for example, to detect whether a person is stressed and respond in a more reassuring manner.
Another key point is the contextual memory from the assistant. Alexa+ will remember important details about you, such as your favorite restaurants or entertainment preferences, to offer more accurate and helpful suggestions in the future.
Improved home automation and entertainment
In the smart home realm, Alexa+ has been designed to offer more intuitive and efficient control. Its integration with devices such as Ring cameras allows you to review security recordings in a simpler way, by directly asking the assistant if suspicious activity has been detected.
In the entertainment sphereAlexa+ makes it easier to search for audiovisual content. By simply describing a scene or a song, the assistant can find the exact content on Prime Video or Amazon Music, which is a particularly useful feature for users.
New features for kids
Amazon has also thought of the little ones with functions designed specifically for them. With features such as 'Stories with Alexa' o 'Explore with Alexa', children can interact with the assistant to develop their creativity and explore concepts in an interactive and educational way.
Architecture based on advanced AI models
Alexa+ relies on Amazon Bedrock to access cutting-edge AI models. These include Amazon's own models, such as Amazon Nova, as well as other key technology partners such as anthropicThis combination allows the wizard to select the most suitable model for each task.
Availability and price
Alexa+ will be available in United States starting in March, with a subscription model of 19,99 dollars per month. However, Amazon Prime customers will be able to access this service at no additional cost.
As for compatibility, the new version of the assistant will work on most Echo devices, including smart speakers and displays. Alexa+ will also be accessible via the web and new mobile apps.
With this update, Amazon is betting on a more complete user experience in which your voice assistant stops being a simple question answerer to become a real artificial intelligence agent capable of multitasking and making users' daily lives easier.