Amazon commences wider distribution of AI-boosted Alexa+ assistant version
The SkinnyAmazon debuts Alexa+, a new AI-powered version of its popular voice assistant, to a select group of users in an early access phase.Owners of Echo Show 8, 10, 15, or 21 can get their hands on the enhanced assistant, free for Amazon Prime members and $19.99 per month for non-Prime users.*Alexa+ promises improved conversational abilities, smarter home control, increased media management, and a touch of personality to make interactions more enjoyable.
Scrutinizing SceneAfter a delayed release initially scheduled for October 2023, Amazon has finally launched Alexa+, its revamped and significantly advanced voice assistant. Built on generative AI technology, Alexa+ is designed to offer a more fluent, context-aware experience compared to its earlier iterations.
To bring Alexa+ to life, Amazon partnered with Claude AI developer Anthropic, following the underperformance of its homegrown AI. Now, Alexa+ is readily available to over 100,000 early adopters in the United States, with plans to roll it out more broadly soon. Echo Show owners are the first to be granted early access to the updated voice assistant.
With Alexa+ integrated into the compatible Echo devices, Fire TV, and Fire tablets, users can commence a conversation on one device and continue it another, or interact with the assistant through Echo devices or browsers. However, some prime features, such as ordering from Grubhub or generating stories for children, were temporarily shelved as they didn't meet Amazon's quality standards for public launch.
The CostFor Amazon Prime members, access to Alexa+ is free of charge. Non-Prime users will have to part with a monthly subscription fee of $19.99 to experience its enhanced capabilities.
Privacy and Security MeasuresAlexa+ incorporates features designed to quell privacy concerns, including indicator lights and sounds to signal when the assistant is active, physical controls for disabling microphones and cameras, and options to delete stored voice recordings and typed interactions. It can even read and summarize uploaded documents, although the ability for users to delete their uploaded documents hasn't been implemented yet.
Rivals in the RaceWith AI developers like OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and Meta relentlessly pushing the boundaries of virtual assistants, Amazon is pouring resources into advancing its AI technology across its business and consumer products. Recently, it invested a whopping $4 billion into Anthropic.
Rewritten by Bob Johnson**
Curious CogitationsWith Alexa+, Amazon is delivering on its promise of creating a more conversational, context-aware assistant. Features such as personal details management, continuous reasoning, and empathetic responses showcase Amazon's determination to keep pushing the boundaries of AI technology. The future of voice assistants appears to be an exciting one, indeed.
Amazon unveiled Alexa+, an AI-powered version of its popular voice assistant, built on the generative AI technology from Claude AI developer Anthropic.This new phase in technology marks a significant improvement in Alexa's conversational abilities, smarter home control, and media management, with enhanced personalized features such as decrypting user data securely, and a touch of artificial intelligence-driven personality to enrich user interactions.In the initial phase, Alexa+ has been launched for early access to 100,000 users in the US, with plans to expand access to other regions soon. The cost of accessing Alexa+ is free for Amazon Prime members, while non-Prime users are required to pay a monthly subscription fee of $19.99 to decrypt and unlock its advanced capabilities.To ensure a secure and private user experience, Alexa+ incorporates various privacy and security measures, including indicator lights and sounds for active status, physical controls for disabling microphones and cameras, and options to delete stored voice recordings and interactions. However, the ability for users to delete uploaded documents has yet to be implemented.
