Briefly: After revealing the all-new model of Alexa, known as Alexa+, again in January, Amazon began rolling out an early entry program for the generative AI-driven digital assistant to pick customers six weeks in the past. However is anybody truly attempting it? In response to a brand new report, there does not appear to be any Alexa+ customers – at the very least none that may be verified.
In February, Amazon confirmed the long-running rumors that it might be releasing a brand new Alexa assistant with built-in generative AI capabilities. The corporate promised it might be capable to order groceries and takeouts, guide desk reservations, and carry out advanced, multi-step duties.
Greater than six weeks in the past, Amazon began rolling out Alexa+ to lots of of hundreds of choose customers, although its preliminary talents on this early entry program had been restricted to some particular duties. These included summoning an Uber and importing paperwork for the AI to summarize and collect details about customers’ lives, thereby enhancing its talents as an assistant.
However Reuters writes that its seek for Alexa+ customers has been unsuccessful. The publication searched dozens of reports websites, YouTube, TikTok, X, BlueSky and Meta’s Instagram and Fb, in addition to Amazon’s Twitch. Even trying by way of critiques of Echo gadgets on Amazon proved fruitless.
The one place the place Reuters found claims of individuals accessing Alexa+ was on Reddit, the place two redditors mentioned that they had used the service. Nevertheless, they didn’t present any onerous proof of this and their identities couldn’t be verified.
“A whole bunch of hundreds of shoppers now have entry to Alexa+ – in fact, some are staff and their households, however the overwhelming majority are prospects that requested early entry,” mentioned an Amazon spokesperson. That is a rise over the roughly 100,000 customers that Amazon mentioned Alexa+ had on Might 1.
Amazon declined to touch upon the dearth of public critiques and reactions to Alexa+. A spokesperson confirmed that utilizing the service didn’t require signing a nondisclosure settlement.
In April, TechRadar reported on an AMA thread hosted by a Reddit consumer who appeared to have early entry to Alexa+, although proof of this consisted of an image of their username written on a bit of tape, connected to the display of an Amazon Echo Present displaying the phrases Alexa+ Early Entry. “Previous Alexa was sizzling rubbish however this new one was a pleasing shock,” they mentioned.
Avi Greengart, lead analyst at Techsponential, who attended the Alexa+ announcement occasion, mentioned that the dearth of customers is not uncommon on the earth of tech.
“This matches a sample of quite a lot of firms saying providers or merchandise when they’re awfully near being prepared, however not fairly – that final mile is so much farther away than they anticipated,” he mentioned.
Quickly after Reuters’ report was revealed, Amazon began notifying extra customers who signed up for the Early Entry program that they will now activate Alexa+.
Alexa+ can be free for Amazon Prime members when it rolls out totally. Non-subscribers can pay $19.99.
