Alexa

• Amazon is expanding its Alexa+ AI assistant to web platforms, moving beyond device-only deployment and positioning itself to compete directly with ChatGPT and Google Gemini. • The expansion reflects Amazon's strategic shift toward agentic AI workflows, enabling Alexa+ to perform complex tasks across web and mobile interfaces. • The move signals intensifying competition among major tech companies to build comprehensive AI assistants that operate across all user touchpoints and verticals.

Long-awaited Alexa+ aims to get Britons re-engaging with their devices – but it may have its work cut out“Commiserations, mate, Chelsea lost 3-0 in the Champions League last night against Paris Saint-Germain,” says Alexa as it attempts to break the news gently to an awaiting Blues fan. Such is the injection of personality and understanding that Amazon hopes will lead to Britons re-engaging with their millions of Alexa devices, restoring it to the cutting edge of voice assistants rather than resigned to being a glorified egg timer.After its early access launch last year in the US, the long-awaited generative AI upgrade Alexa+ is finally making its debut in the UK, supporting eight years of existing devices strewn through more than half of UK households. With the UK being Amazon’s most engaged market and more than 40 accents to contend with across the UK and Ireland, the “next-generation ambient AI assistant” has its work cut out for it. Continue reading...