1 hr ago
Amazon launches more conversational AI-powered Alexa+ in India
Amazon has made a newer version of Alexa called Alexa+ available in India.
It is designed to talk more naturally instead of only responding to fixed commands.
People can speak to it in English, Hindi or Hinglish.
Alexa+ can remember parts of conversations and some user preferences.
It is meant to understand noisy homes and mixed-language speech.
It can answer questions, control smart-home devices and help with tasks such as food delivery or restaurant bookings.
Amazon says it can work with services such as Swiggy, Zomato and EasyDiner.
After Early Access, Prime members will get it for free, while other users will pay Rs 2,000 per month.
Alexa+ is available in India through an Early Access programme on screen-equipped Echo Show devices.
The assistant supports English, Hindi and Hinglish, with responses adapted to Indian language, culture and households.
Amazon says Alexa+ can maintain conversational context, remember preferences and understand more complex requests.
The service can perform tasks such as ordering food and booking restaurants through partners including Swiggy, Zomato and EasyDiner.
Alexa+ is free for Prime members after Early Access, while non-Prime users will pay Rs 2,000 monthly for a standalone subscription.
- Who
- Amazon, represented by Alexa executives Michele Butti and Teena Sidana, is introducing Alexa+ to Indian customers.
- What
- Alexa+ is a generative-AI voice assistant designed to offer more conversational interactions and perform tasks for users.
- Where
- India, initially on screen-equipped Echo Show devices and also through compatible Echo devices, Fire TV and the Alexa app.
- When
- Alexa+ is currently available through an Early Access programme; the articles do not specify a launch date.
- Why
- Amazon says it developed Alexa+ to better understand Indian languages, code-mixed speech, culture, noisy homes and users’ real-world requests.
Key facts
- Availability
- Early Access programme in India
- Supported languages
- English, Hindi and Hinglish
- Early Access devices
- Screen-equipped Echo Show devices
- Post-Early Access pricing
- Free for Prime members; Rs 2,000 per month for non-Prime users as a standalone subscription
- Capabilities
- Conversational responses, memory, preference-based personalisation and real-world task execution
- India partners
- Swiggy and Zomato for food delivery; EasyDiner for restaurant bookings; Chef Sanjeev Kapoor for recipes
- Smart-home usage
- More than 1.1 billion Alexa smart-home interactions occurred across devices over the past year, according to Amazon
Quotes
Michele Butti
Vice President, Alexa International
“It’s much more conversational. Being based on generative AI, it can talk about anything, not just the deterministic technology we had before, where we had to script every question, the right answer, and what we did.”
indianexpress.com
Teena Sidana
Country Manager, Alexa, Amazon India
“The technology we use is our own Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) that is fine-tuned for Indian homes today.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
Related news
Amazon Launches Alexa+ in India With Hindi, Hinglish Support
AWS Brings OpenAI GPT-5.6 Terra and Luna to India
OpenAI Brings ChatGPT Ads To India, Challenging Google
Google Expands Translate With Real-Time Two-Way Conversation Features
Meta Launches Muse Voice Transcribe with Indian Language Support
OpenAI's ChatGPT Ads Launch Reshapes India's Digital Advertising Landscape
Deepinder Goyal Explains Why Teams Matter More Than Ideas
Assam Man Says Zomato Biryani Order Arrived As Plain Rice
Chandigarh Nightclubs Shut as High Costs Outrun Party Demand
Eternal Shares Rise as Mutual Funds Increase Large Bets
