After launching in the US late last year, Amazon's enhanced Alexa+ virtual assistant has made its way to Australian shores, with early access starting today (August 6) for Aussie customers with eligible devices.
Amazon's voice assistant has gotten a major generative-AI upgrade, with the online giant claiming the changes make Alexa smarter, more conversational and more capable than ever before. Alexa+'s memory and emotional upgrades are very similar to what users have become accustomed to with other conversational chatbots, like ChatGPT and Gemini.
The new Alexa is made for more than just asking questions about the weather or changing your playlists. Its newfound capabilities include integrating with other smart home appliances, arranging dinner reservations, sending emails and setting appointments, offering suggestions for everything from entertainment and recipes to directions and price drops on Amazon based on learned experiences, and so much more — it's almost overwhelming to consider.
Unlike the previous version, Alexa+ can also initiate conversations without requiring a wake word (i.e. saying 'Alexa'), and remember users’ personal preferences. For its Australian launch, Alexa+ has been adapted for local conditions. It has an Aussie accent, features local news outlets, and can respond with more emotional nuance, like cheeky banter or slang.
So how exactly does Alexa+ work behind the scenes? The upgraded assistant has been built using Amazon's Bedrock generative-AI platform and combines multiple LLMs, including Amazon's own Nova and models from partners like Anthropic. It's these enhancements that improve Alexa+'s ability to recognise and respond to more natural language (such as half-sentences, colloquialisms, clunky questions, and tone) and to answer user queries with greater accuracy.
Alexa+'s early access is now available for Australian consumers, with a larger rollout coming later this year. Amazon customers can opt-in to try the new voice assistant by either purchasing a new eligible Echo device or registering one they already own on Amazon's website.
And as with most of Amazon's subscription-based smart home products, the company does eventually intend to charge users for Alexa+ — although there is a relatively easy way to get it for free. After the early access period ends, an Alexa+ subscription will be included in Amazon Prime's many membership benefits. If you don't have Prime, you can purchase a monthly Alexa+ subscription for AU$29.99p/m — a price that’s frankly a little nonsensical, given Prime itself costs just AU$9.99p/m.
Is Alexa+ actually worth the hype?
After spending an afternoon at an Amazon media briefing and seeing all that Alexa+ can do, I honestly remain a little sceptical. Granted, there are plenty of benefits to having a smart assistant with generative-AI smarts — in its demos, Amazon showed that Alexa+ can connect to almost every smart thing in your home, automate your routines and help you when your hands are full with kids or pets by responding to your emails, organising your shopping list and so on.
While that all sounds useful, I have to admit to still feeling uneasy at the thought of my personal data being collected and used to train a generative AI-powered virtual assistant. While I can appreciate Alexa+ now better understands what it means to be Aussie — things like adding an 'o' to the end of every word, where to find a 'succulent Chinese meal', the passionate rivalry between footy clubs and how to correctly eat Vegemite — my jury's still out on whether I want an Amazon-owned AI assistant planning my day, running my smart home and communicating on my behalf.
In fairness, Amazon does have safeguards in place for those of us who are wary about using the new voice assistant. As per Alexa's Trust & Privacy hub, Amazon states that consumers are in control when using Alexa+ and can manage interactions with the voice assistant via a dedicated Privacy dashboard. You can also listen to what Alexa has heard, review any attachments you've shared via the app or email, and delete chat history or change how long it’s stored. You can also mute your devices at any time by hitting the mute button or using the dashboard when you're not using Alexa+.
I'll be spending the next few weeks getting some more hands-on time with the Echo Show 8 and Alexa+, so I’ll report back with an update on my experiences. For now, if you're curious about Alexa+ and want to give it a go, you can register for access here.
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