During a Wednesday event in New York City, Amazon has introduced Alexa+, an upgraded voice assistant powered by AI technologies.
Amazon stated that Alexa+ has the ability to access the customer’s Amazon account and answer questions such as “How many books have I read this year?” based on the obtained data. Also, it can send notifications for concert tickets as an example or assist with planning trips and reserving a dinner table.
During the high-profile event in NYC, Panos Panay, the chief of devices and services at Amazon, described Alexa+ as a “complete re-architecture” in the voice assistant journey. He said: “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.”
Amazon’s Alexa+ interacts with live footage
The new assistant has the ability to understand and interact with camera footage. It can analyze live footage, explain it and answer questions about it. The Alexa+ understands the environment and adjusts replies on the go.
Alexa+ also powers personalized content feeds like a photo gallery for example on Amazon’s Echo Show smart displays. Live updates based on a user’s preferences are viewable on a new “For You” panel display plus other widgets such as smart home controls.
Panos Panay said that Alexa+ had been trained in many ways like understanding humor and even emotional intelligence (EQ). “She understands I’m a little bit nervous, she’s trying to calm me.” he stated.
Panay added “She’s your virtual security guard,” because Alexa+ also has the capability to analyze and summarize video footage from Ring security cameras. The AI voice assistant provides a description of the activity in a footage and pinpoints key moments for quick review.
Additionally, Alexa+ seamlessly integrates with Amazon’s expansive smart home ecosystem. With a simple voice command, users can instruct Alexa to stream music from Amazon Music on any compatible smart device connected to the same Wi-Fi network or make a Fire TV device jump to a specific scene in a movie or TV show.
Amazon is marketing the new Alexa as a productivity tool. The company said that users can upload files, documents, and even emails, and Alexa will analyze and reference them later. For instance, a user might ask, “I forwarded a work schedule—are there any interesting events I need to be aware of?” and Alexa will extract and highlight key details from the document.
Alexa+ goes beyond merely reading files—it can actively interact with and edit them. For example, it can extract text from a document and add it to your calendar or create reminders based on key details found within an email or file.
A few weeks ago, The Washington Post reported that Amazon delayed the release of the new Alexa according to a statement from an anonymous employee. The employee told The Washington Post that the delay was due to Alexa giving incorrect answers to test questions.
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