The Alexa personal assistant is already a part of daily life for millions of Australians and it has just got even smarter, more conversational and more capable with the launch of Alexa+.
Alexa+ is a significant upgrade in personal AI that makes the experience deeper and more useful than simply answering questions and controlling smart devices.
More than a year in the making the Alexa+ assistant for Australian users does more than understand our accents.
It recognises our slang and idioms and can interact with users in a much more casual and conversational tone.
Australian customers engaged with Alexa more than two billion times a year and managed smart home devices more than six million times in the last year alone.
From today Australians can experience Alexa+ With Amazon planning to invite thousands of customers to experience it in the coming weeks.
Users can also register their interest at Amazon.com.au/newalexa.
An even quicker way to have access to Alexa+ is to purchase an eligible Echo device and immediately opt in.
More than 98 per cent of Alexa users in Australia have compatible devices that will work with Alexa+.
One of the first things customers will notice is how much easier interactions have become.
The upgraded technology makes it feel like you’re talking to a friend rather than a computer.
Alexa will understand what you’re trying to say, even if you stumble or change your mind halfway through.
And of course it understands our local slang and knows exactly what you mean when you say arvo, servo and snags.
It’s also familiar with Australian culture and local expressions, Aussie sports, and even homegrown music.
The local team has been hard at work to infuse Alexa+ with an Australian personality with new speech understanding techniques.
Alexa+ will even remember your favourite football team and we’ll also be down for a chat if you want to talk about the latest results.
Alexa+ now understands your intent and not just the words you’re saying.
It is built on advanced large language models (LLMs) and has an all-new architecture to connect hundreds of services and devices to deliver an all-over smarter experience that can be personalised to you or your household’s needs.
Another huge improvement is Alexa+ actually get things done for you rather than just answering your questions.
It can act on your behalf like booking a table at your favourite local restaurant, letting you know about possible clashes in your calendar, saving cherished family recipes and recommending a gift for a loved one and buying it for you.
Alexa+ can still look after your smart home devices and management and access music via popular streaming apps as well as local radio.
A future partner is Tripadvisor which will make it easy to plan your next trip simply by talking to Alexa+.
Alexa+ is not only intelligent but it also brings to the table things like consideration and empathy and humour when appropriate.
And the more you interact with her, the more useful she becomes.
She can learn preferences and routines, your favourite music and books, and foods you like and the foods you need to avoid.
Alexa+ can even recognise members of the household through visual and voice ID and tailor answers accordingly.
She can recognise your daily routine and preferences and help you wind down after a long day at the office by lowering the lights and playing your favourite artist.
She will also remember the household’s dietary requirements and will know who likes what and what they can and can’t eat.
Alexa+ can also anticipate what you need.
For example, she can make sure your home is cool before you get back from work or start the coffee machine as you begin your day.
It’s this intelligent anticipation that really changes the relationship with the technology and enhances your life.
Amazon calls this ambient AI. It is when the technology fades into the background but is always there.
Alexa+ can be accessed through an Echo device and through an app on your phone and pick up right where you left off without missing a beat.
And soon you’ll be able to access Alexa+ on your laptop with the launch of Alexa.com.au.
On the shopping side, Alexa+ can help you check availability and prices of preferred brands and confirm before you place your order.
She can also track Amazon orders and let you know if the price on a watched item drops.
And when it comes to smart home devices, Alexa+ still excels in controlling lights, cameras, and other products.
For example you can just say “it’s dark” and Alexa we’ll turn the lights on.
Users can now create customised routines and combine multiple actions just by asking for it instead of having to piece it together in the app
For example you may check if a delivery has arrived with your Ring Doorbell Camera.
You can just say “Alexa did any packages get delivered today?”
She will then go through the video footage and show if anyone left a parcel.
When it comes to privacy, the Alexa Privacy Dashboard allows you to review and manage all your interactions with Alexa+ in one place.
You can listen to exactly what Alexa heard, the attachments you’ve shared and change how long voice recordings are kept.
Alexa+ will be free for eligible early access customers and then we’ll be free for all Prime members.
Non-Prime members will be able to access Alexa+ for $29.99 a month.
Users with an eligible device can register at amazon.com.au/newalexa.
