Everything you need to know about Amazon's new AI-powered Alexa Plus

Users can now ask Alexa+ to make purchases, book reservations, and automatically update calendars and send relevant details to those involved

Amazon has lifted the lid on its revamped virtual assistant, Alexa+, touting it as a "complete rearchitecture" powered by cutting-edge generative AI.

This overhaul brings a fresh voice, enhanced intelligence, and increased capabilities to the table. For the first time, non-Amazon Prime customers will need to subscribe to access the upgraded features. Let's dive into the specifics of the new and improved Alexa+.

In a nutshell, Amazon claims Alexa+ empowers users to accomplish more, thanks to its AI-driven update. This enables the assistant to interact with various apps and services, streamlining task management.

Panos Panay, Amazon's services chief, likens using Alexa+ to an orchestra, where the assistant acts as the conductor, harmonizing different elements. In practical terms, users can now ask Alexa+ to make purchases, book reservations, and automatically update calendars and send relevant details to those involved.

The assistant has also become more conversational, better grasping context and follow-up questions. Users can even instruct Alexa+ to recall specific details about individuals, such as food preferences, and suggest meal ideas based on those preferences. Furthermore, Amazon has introduced two significant new features to Alexa's arsenal. The first feature allows users to upload files, including large documents, to the assistant for the first time.

Users can then request Alexa to summarise these documents and extract key details swiftly, setting reminders or adding events to calendars as needed. The second feature is AI agent capabilities, which refers to an AI app's ability to autonomously execute tasks set by the user.

In this case, Alexa+ will be able to surf the web – and interact with Amazon partner websites – to make purchases, schedule appointments and reservations, or book services based on the task assigned by the user. During its announcement event, Amazon demonstrated Alexa locating and booking an appliance repair service for a user whose oven had broken.

So, how is it more powerful? The new Alexa+ is driven by a variety of AI and large language models, according to Amazon. It utilises Amazon's Bedrock service – a sort of menu for AI models – to select the most suitable model to perform a specific task each time.

Amazon's own new model, Nova, is included, as is AI firm Anthropic's model – the company behind the Claude chatbot, in which Amazon is a significant investor.

Is it still free to use? For Amazon Prime members, Alexa+ will indeed be free to use once it becomes available. However, for those without a Prime membership, accessing Alexa+ will cost $20 per month.

When will it be available? Amazon has announced that its Alexa+ will initially be launched in the US in the coming weeks, with further rollouts planned over the following months for households equipped with the company's screen-enabled Echo smart home devices, namely the Echo Show 8, 10, 15 and 21. The tech giant also confirmed that Alexa+ can be accessed through Alexa.com and a dedicated smartphone app. However, Amazon has yet to reveal a specific launch date or pricing details for the UK market.