Introduction to Alexa Plus
Yesterday, a news story was published with the headline “Weeks after Amazon’s Alexa+ AI launch, a mystery: where are the users?”. This story highlighted the difficulty in finding first-hand accounts of people using Alexa Plus, the AI-upgraded version of Amazon’s virtual assistant. The Verge reached out to Amazon for a response, and the company stated that the idea that Alexa Plus isn’t available is “simply wrong”.
Amazon’s Response
Amazon provided a statement to The Verge, saying that hundreds of thousands of customers have access to Alexa Plus and that the company is constantly inviting more customers who have requested early access. An Amazon spokesperson, Eric Sveum, shared a screenshot of what the email invite for Alexa Plus should look like. This response contradicts the claims made in the news story that it’s hard to find people using Alexa Plus.
What is Alexa Plus?
Alexa Plus is Amazon’s generative AI-updated version of Alexa, announced in February. It’s free for Amazon Prime subscribers or costs $19.99 a month for others. This updated version of Alexa is designed to provide more advanced and personalized assistance to users.
The Mystery of Alexa Plus Users
The news story quoted an analyst saying, “There seems to be no one who actually has it”. The outlet also reported that its efforts to find real-world Alexa Plus users came up empty, despite searching various online platforms and speaking with people who claimed to have used Alexa Plus. However, these claims could not be corroborated.
Recent Developments
Engadget reported that a wave of emails had gone out on Friday, inviting Amazon Alexa users to try out Alexa Plus. An Amazon spokesperson told Engadget that “hundreds of thousands” of customers have tried the assistant. Amazon started rolling out its early access program to a few customers at the end of March. At the time, some features were missing, but the company has been working to add them.
Conclusion
In conclusion, despite initial reports suggesting that Alexa Plus was not widely available, Amazon has stated that hundreds of thousands of customers have access to the AI-upgraded assistant. The company has been rolling out its early access program and continues to invite more customers to try out Alexa Plus. As more features are added and the service becomes more widely available, it will be interesting to see how users respond to the updated version of Alexa.
