Starting today, Alexa+, the new personal assistant based on generative artificial intelligence, is available in Italy in early access, free for everyone. Alexa+ is not only smarter, it is also able to concretely help in everyday life. Restaurant reservations, shopping, home security, music discovery, schedule management: Alexa+ does it all through natural conversations, as if you were talking to a friend.
Below are the main features.
More natural conversations
The first thing you notice with Alexa+ is how simple and immediate everything becomes. No more specific commands or activation words to repeat. Incomplete thoughts, idioms, complex requests: everything flows naturally in the conversation and Alexa+ responds with a better, more natural and expressive voice. You can change the subject, interrupt, go back, and she follows without any problems.
Advanced language models
Alexa+ is based on large advanced language models (LLMs): a completely new architecture now connects hundreds of services and devices. Thanks to it, Alexa+ can intervene in the real world: it suggests a gift for a relative and has it delivered, lowers the thermostat when told “Alexa, it’s hot in here”; suggests a recipe taking into consideration the family’s food preferences. Furthermore, starting from the next few weeks, users will be able to use TheFork to book restaurants simply using their voice and new services will arrive in the coming months.
Personalized and proactive
In addition to intelligence, Alexa+ brings attention, empathy and, when needed, even a pinch of irony. The more you interact with her, the more useful she becomes. Learn your preferences: the music you love, the books you read, the foods you avoid, your family’s habits. Thanks to voice and visual recognition, it distinguishes family members and personalizes responses for each one. Adapt the tone of conversations: if their favorite team wins, they will be more enthusiastic when talking about the match. If you are planning a trip, it will remember your favorite destinations and help organize the details. You can talk to her about your daily routine or your plans and she will help make your day go more smoothly. If, for example, you return tired from work, Alexa+ could dim the lights and start your favorite playlist once you return home. She’ll remember that mom is a vegetarian or that a family member hates broccoli, and she’ll take that into consideration when making restaurant or recipe suggestions.
Accessible anywhere, anytime
Alexa+ can be used everywhere: in the kitchen while talking to your Echo Show, in the living room in front of the Fire TV or while working at your desk. Soon, in fact, users in Italy will be able to access Alexa+ directly from the browser (Alexa.com) and receive help wherever they are in an even easier way. Continuity of conversations: you can start looking for dinner recipes on the Echo Show in the kitchen, continue on your phone while you go shopping, and Alexa+ will pick up exactly where you left off, remembering the context and what you were talking about, without ever losing the thread.
Shopping is even easier
Finished your coffee? Just say it: Alexa+ will suggest your favorite brand at the best price and ask for confirmation before ordering the product. Are you planning a dinner? Alexa+ can create a shopping list considering the user’s and family’s food preferences. It tracks deliveries, reports interesting price changes, helps you discover products in line with your interests. It can also compare products, summarize reviews and suggest alternatives.
Manage the house naturally
With millions of smart home devices connected to Alexa in Italy, it is possible to manage your home simply by speaking naturally. By saying “It’s dark,” Alexa will turn on the lights. Asking “Clean here” will start the robot vacuum cleaner. It is also possible to create personalized routines completely with your voice, combining multiple actions: adjust the lights, play music, share the weather forecast, without needing to open the Alexa app. Alexa+ also moves with the user from room to room. If you’re cooking dinner in the kitchen and you say, “Alexa, play my favorite artist,” it will play on the nearest Echo device. When moving around the living room, just say “Alexa, move music here”; and she will, without interruption. Soon it will also be possible to check deliveries and visitors via your Ring video intercom: just say “Alexa, were any packages delivered today?” and she will connect to your Ring camera, analyze the recordings, and show if someone left a package at the door.
Designed for Italy, in Italy
Italian scientists, engineers and language specialists working at the Alexa Research and Development Center in Turin have given Alexa+ an authentically Italian personality, refining language models and developing new natural language understanding techniques.
Privacy and security
The privacy dashboard allows you to review and manage your interactions with Alexa+. You can hear exactly what Alexa has recorded, control shared content, change how long voice recordings are kept, and delete recordings at any time.
Alexa+ is included in your Amazon Prime subscription
During the Early Access period, Alexa+ will be free for everyone. After that, it will be available for €22.99 per month, but will continue to be available at no additional cost to all Amazon Prime customers.
How to get started
Alexa+ in Early Access is available in Italy starting today. In the coming weeks, Amazon will invite Italian customers to join the Early Access program, gradually expanding access. There are two other ways to log in:
- Purchase any Echo device for immediate access. In particular, Echo Show 11, Echo Show 8, Echo Dot Max, and Echo Studio are devices specifically designed to support next-generation experiences powered by artificial intelligence.
- Those who already own a compatible Echo device can register on amazon.it/nuovalexa to express their interest in Alexa+ Early Access and to be included in subsequent invitations. Alexa+ works on many existing Echo products, except for some older generation models such as Echo Dot (1st Gen), Echo (1st Gen), Echo Plus (1st Gen), Echo Show (1st Gen and 2nd Gen), and Echo Spot (1st Gen). The original version of Alexa will remain active on these.
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