Amazon just announced an upgraded version of Alexa, its home virtual assistant, called Alexa+, which is powered by generative AI technologies. The product was unveiled by Amazon’s Devices and Services Chief, Panos Panay, at an event in New York on February 26th. Panay called the new device a “complete re-architecture” of the AI assistant.
“While the vision of Alexa has been ambitious and remains incredibly compelling, until right this moment — right this moment — we have been limited by the technology,” Panay said. “An AI chatbot on its own doesn’t get us to our vision of Alexa.”
The upgraded Alexa is designed to answer complex questions like “How many books have I read this year?” using info from an Amazon customer’s account. It can also notify users when new concert tickets drop, help with certain tasks such as booking a dinner reservation, create quizzes from study guides, craft basic travel itineraries, and more.
Alexa+ is equipped with a camera that allows the device to process a video feed and respond to questions while also analyzing what’s happening in the footage. The new Alexa can understand tone, analyze the environment around it, and adjust its responses accordingly.
“She’s been trained in a couple of different ways, from EQ to humor to understanding,” he added. “She understands I’m a little bit nervous, she’s trying to calm me.”
If you ask Alexa+, “What’s the best pizza nearby?”, the AI-powered smart device will provide answers based on what’s in Alexa’s “memory” and the preferences Alexa has noted over time.
On Amazon’s Echo Show smart displays, Alexa+ powers photo galleries and other personalized content feeds. A new “For You” panel displays time-sensitive updates based on a user’s interests and widgets like smart home controls.
The gadget is also being marketed as a productivity tool as users can upload files, documents, or emails, and Alexa+ will be able to refer back to the information in the future. For example, a user could say, “I forwarded a work schedule. Are there any interesting events I need to be aware of?” and Alexa would highlight key items. It can also add information from a doc directly to your calendar, efficiently creating a reminder for information found in a specific email or document.
It’s also designed to be compatible with Amazon’s broader smart home ecosystem. For example, users can ask Alexa+ to play music from Amazon Music on a supported device or have a Fire TV device skip to a particular part of a movie or show. It can also summarize footage from Ring security cameras by describing what’s going on or pull footage from specific times.
“The new Alexa knows almost [everything] in your life — your schedule, your smart home, your preferences, the devices you’re using, the people you’re connected [to and] the entertainment you [enjoy],” Panay said.
