Amazon unveils ‘super’ Alexa+ AI helper that talks like a human, knows ‘everything’ about you and controls your home

AMAZON has revealed a new and ultra-smart version of Alexa, its virtual voice-controlled assistant.

The new AI helper called Alexa+ – which will be available on millions of gadgets – was hailed as “remarkable” by Amazon chief Andy Jassy.

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This “next generation Alexa” that talks like a human was unveiled a special AI event hosted by Amazon in New York.

Amazon’s Panos Panay said that the new Alexa “knows almost every instrument in your life” – like the conductor of an orchestra.

That included smart home gadgets, mobile devices, the people you’re connected to, and the apps you’re using – all in a bid to help you get stuff done.

Amazon showed off how Alexa+ would be able to book restaurants for you, create recipes and set timers automatically, and control all of the gadgets in your home at once based on your mood.

“The rearchitecture of all of Alexa has happened, and I’m pumped about it,” said Amazon’s Panos Panay.

Panay described the old Alexa as “frustrating”, saying it would sometimes mishear you or be unable to help.

“While the vision for Alexa has been ambitious and remains incredibly compelling, until right this moment, we have been limited by the technology.

“Every once in a while, a technology comes around and it changes literally everything.”

Amazon says that Alexa is smarter than ever before, and will let you have humanlike conversations with the helper.

It can find a gift, order it, gift-wrap it, and ship it to your home with minimal input.

The new Alexa will remember your favourite food, movies, and interests.

And it'll get smarter the more you use it, according to Amazon.

For instance, if a member of family hates a food – like mushrooms – and you ask about cooking a meal for everyone at home, Alexa will know to avoid that ingredient.

The new Alexa+ voice is more expressive – and will pick up on emotional cues based on what you're talking about.

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If you're using the Alexa app, there's a smart home widget that lets you manage all of the gadgets in your home.

And you can create routines so that your home manages itself – like turning all of the lights off at a specific time, and then playing some music too.

Amazon showed off a demo where Panay described where he'd heard a song, and Alexa was able to work out what he meant – and then play it.

Another demo showed Panay asking Alexa if anyone had “taken out Aries” today.

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The idea is that Alexa knows to check footage from your Ring camera, check for the dog – which it has learned is called Aries – and see if it had been walked.

Amazon’s director of Alexa Mara Segal then showed how Alexa+ could save you time by analysing info.

For instance, it scanned a dense housing document to see if she was able to add solar panels to her house.

And then asked Alexa+ to scan “grandma’s zucchini bread recipe” to see how much oil she’d need to buy.

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After that, Alexa+ was able to pull out specific events from the upcoming South by Southwest show that Mara might find useful.

Segal said it "saved several hours" of work during the live demo, which lasted around five minutes.

Amazon said that the new Alexa+ will be available widely, on almost any device that you own.

"You can also use Alexa+ anywhere you want, from your favorite Echo devices and the Alexa mobile app to an all-new web browser experience," Amazon said.

"Alexa+ will remember the context of your conversations so that you can seamlessly pick up where you left off as you go about your day."

ALEXA, LET'S GO BACK IN TIME

Amazon’s Alexa dates back more than a decade.

The handy assistant was originally based on a Polish speech-synthesizing system called Ivona, which Amazon scooped up in 2013.

This early tech was inspired by AI system HAL from the sci-fi flick 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Amazon announced Alexa properly on November 6, 2014 alongside the original Echo speaker, which powered by the AI.

Alexa has since appeared on multiple Echo speakers, as well as Fire TV devices, and on iPhones and Android phones via an app.

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