Amazon enables new Alexa model with generative and agentic AI
A new version of the Amazon Alexa voice-enabled device features capabilities based on leading-edge artificial intelligence platforms.
Amazon is rolling out Alexa+, which the online giant says is "rebuilt from the ground up" and features an all-new architecture that include native large language model (LLM) capabilities as well as support for API development at scale.
The revamped Alexa architecture includes generative AI functionality as well as capabilities based on agentic AI, which can analyze massive amounts of data in near-real-time and then automatically take action based on the results.
Subscriptions for Alexa Plus will start at $19.99 per month, but will be free for Prime members.
How Alexa+ can help shoppers
According to Amazon, these agentic capabilities essentially teach Alexa+ to navigate the digital world as a person would. This enables Alexa+ to take a customer request, navigate to an API developer’s website, and complete tasks requested by the customer.
With this support for APIs and agentic AI, the new Alexa+ architecture can let customers seamlessly connect with a wide variety of retailers and services including Amazon, Whole Foods Market, Uber, GrubHub, Ticketmaster, Yelp and smart home devices.
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Amazon is also in the process integrating Alexa and other AI-based capabilities into vehicles from automakers including BMW and Hyundai; and intends to enable advanced in-vehicle experiences that leverage Qualcomm Technologies’ automotive technology and its own AI services and cloud capabilities.
In addition, Amazon enabled the LLMs supporting Alexa+ to string together multiple calls in a row as well as integrate with APIs. This enables the device to handle multifaceted requests, such as booking a reservation at a specific restaurant and then sending a text message to notify a requested contact of the reservation.
Amazon built a routing system using models from the Amazon Web Services Amazon Bedrock managed generative AI service—including Amazon Nova and Anthropic Claude—designed to instantly match each customer request with what it determines to be the best model for the task at hand.
Interestingly, Amazon laid off several hundred employees who worked in its Alexa voice-enabled device division in November 2023. At the time, the company said it was shifting some efforts to "better align with business priorities" and maximizing its resources and efforts dedicated to generative AI.
Forrester weighs in
In comments emailed to Chain Store Age, Thomas Husson, VP/principal analyst at Forrester, said Alexa has not generated the incremental e-commerce sales Amazon had hoped for, but these changes could change the device into a “smart and useful” assistant.
"Is this the beginning of a new consumer agentic era where consumers will use new multi-modal interfaces to have their digital double transact with brands on their behalf?," Husson said in the email. "Not quite yet. (But) I expect a more natural and conversational interface with some limited smart home integrations with a couple of partners.
"To truly differentiate in the space in the long run, Amazon would need to be able to distinguish personal and household data, and to interpret context in a household, which equals to a big privacy and trust hurdle," Husson concluded.
In a corporate blog post, Amazon said Alexa+ isn’t "just another chatbot."
"It’s our next-generation AI assistant that is much more conversational, smarter, personalized, and capable of getting even more things done for customers," Amazon said.
