Amazon Alexa+ is the latest iteration of Amazon's voice assistant, unveiled in February 2025. This upgraded version is designed to offer more natural and expansive conversations, leveraging powerful large language models (LLMs) available on Amazon Bedrock. Here are some key features and details about Alexa+:
Key Features of Alexa+
- Conversational Experience: Alexa+ provides a more natural conversational experience, allowing users to express themselves in half-formed thoughts or colloquial expressions. It responds like a trusted assistant, making interactions feel more human-like[2][3].- Action Capabilities: Alexa+ can orchestrate across tens of thousands of services and devices, enabling tasks such as smart home management, making reservations, ordering groceries, and more. It introduces "experts," which are groups of systems and APIs that accomplish specific tasks[2].
- Agentic Capabilities: Alexa+ can navigate the internet to complete tasks independently, such as arranging repairs or booking services without user intervention[2].
- Personalization: Alexa+ is highly personalized, allowing users to share preferences and information that it can use to provide tailored assistance[2].
Pricing and Availability
- Subscription Model: Alexa+ requires a subscription costing $19.99 per month. However, Amazon Prime members can access it at no additional cost[3][5].- Rollout: The rollout begins in late March 2025, initially targeting Echo Show devices (models 8, 10, 15, and 21) in the United States[5][6].
Devices and Compatibility
- Initial Compatibility: Alexa+ will initially be available on select Echo devices, with priority given to Echo Show models[6][7].- Future Expansion: While not all Echo devices will receive Alexa+ initially, Amazon plans to expand compatibility to more devices over time[7].
Additional Features
- Emotional Intelligence: Alexa+ can detect user tone and mood, offering more empathetic responses[4].- Integration with Services: It integrates with various services like Uber, OpenTable, Spotify, and more, enhancing its utility across different tasks[4].
Citations:
[1] https://alexa.amazon.com
[2] https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/devices/new-alexa-generative-artificial-intelligence
[3] https://apnews.com/article/amazon-alexa-fee-ai-assistant-017c17bddfa6742d1e78873cdda3663f
[4] https://www.engadget.com/ai/everything-announced-at-amazons-alexa-ai-event-164613305.html
[5] https://www.theverge.com/news/620005/amazon-alexa-plus-ai-smart-assistant-pricing-availability-devices
[6] https://www.techradar.com/home/smart-home/alexa-heres-how-to-sign-up-for-early-access
[7] https://www.zdnet.com/article/alexa-plus-will-run-on-select-echo-devices-see-if-yours-is-on-the-list/
[8] https://www.pocket-lint.com/underrated-things-amazon-alexa-plus-can-do/
[9] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/amazon-plans-unveil-alexa-devices-173809374.html