Amazon unveiled a long-delayed “conversational” version of Alexa on Wednesday, betting a more personalised artificial intelligence-powered chatbot will give it an edge in the digital assistant market.
Amazon said its so-called Alexa+ service would enable customers to engage with their voice assistants in “natural, flowing conversations”. It said the upgrade meant services would become more personalised as the device learnt users’ habits and daily schedules.
“The new Alexa knows almost every instrument in your life,” Panos Panay, Amazon’s device chief, said at an event in New York. He said it would also help organise customers’ schedules and control a range of smart home devices.