In an announcement at its 2025 Devices and Services event, Amazon unveiled Alexa+, the next generation of its iconic digital assistant. Powered by generative AI, Alexa+ promises a more natural, personalised, and proactive user experience, setting a new standard for AI assistants.
TBC's Insider:
What's New with Alexa+:
Enhanced Conversational Capabilities: Alexa+ engages in smoother, more natural conversations, understanding context and remembering previous interactions. This means users can pick up where they left off without needing to repeat themselves.
Personalisation: Alexa+ learns user preferences over time, adapting to their lifestyle. It can remember dietary restrictions, entertainment preferences, and even weekly traditions, providing tailored recommendations and solutions.
Agentic Abilities: Alexa+ can perform tasks on behalf of users, such as event planning, online shopping, and travel bookings. It integrates with third-party services like Uber and OpenTable to make reservations or order rides.
Document Analysis: Users can upload documents, and Alexa+ will extract relevant information, summarise content, or create calendar events based on the data. This feature is particularly useful for managing study materials or household documents.
Smart Home Integration: Alexa+ enhances smart home capabilities, allowing users to control music playback across rooms, jump to specific scenes in Prime Video, and monitor home security with Ring cameras.
Alexa+ will initially launch in the U.S. on select Echo devices, including the Echo Show 8, 10, 15, and 21. The service will be available for $19.99 per month, although Amazon Prime members will enjoy access at no additional cost.
The introduction of Alexa+ marks a significant shift in the AI assistant market. By leveraging generative AI, Amazon is positioning Alexa+ as a more intuitive and proactive assistant, capable of understanding and adapting to user needs more effectively than its predecessors.
