Amazon Enhances Alexa Plus with AI for Smart Homes

Amazon Boosts Alexa Plus with AI for Smart Home

Amazon is launching an update for its Alexa Plus assistant that will enable it to connect to smart home devices in an innovative way. This update, currently in preview phase, allows Alexa Plus to partner with technologies from brands such as Bosch, Delta, Ecovacs, iRobot, Yale Home, Whirlpool, Tapo, Eufy, and others, while automatically directing requests to the appropriate device.

In an example shared by Amazon, a person with a compatible washing machine can say: “Alexa, my child's soccer jersey needs a deep clean, but the label says cold wash only.” From there, Alexa Plus would navigate the machine's cycle options and select the correct setting. The new integrations are powered by Amazon's new AI development tool, which is designed to make it easier for device manufacturers to connect to Alexa Plus, including those with unique capabilities that were not previously supported.

Amazon widely launched its revamped AI assistant in February, capable of handling multi-step requests and helping to create routines by voice. Currently, it only executes tasks within a limited number of third-party services, such as Ticketmaster, OpenTable, Uber, Thumbtack, Expedia, Yelp, Square, and Angi.

However, Amazon is trying to change this by adopting the Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open-source standard that allows AI models to connect to external systems and tools. This will give more brands the opportunity to interact with Alexa Plus, with integrations planned later this year for companies such as Canva, Headspace, Priceline, Lyft, Cengage, Virgin Atlantic, Weekend, and others.

For example, Priceline will allow customers to browse hotel options and book a trip directly through Alexa Plus. Priceline, along with Atom Tickets, Cengage, Fandango, and Taskrabbit, will soon support payments via Amazon Wallet as well.