Yesterday, Reuters ran a narrative with the headline “Weeks after Amazon’s Alexa+ AI launch, a thriller: the place are the customers?,” by which it detailed its problem finding first-hand accounts of the AI-upgraded assistants’ use on-line. The Verge requested Amazon concerning the story, and the corporate has responded to say that the concept that Alexa Plus isn’t obtainable is “merely improper.”
Here’s the corporate’s full — and reasonably strongly-worded! — assertion on the matter, supplied by Amazon spokesperson Eric Sveum by way of e-mail to The Verge:
It’s merely improper to say that Alexa+ isn’t obtainable to clients—that assertion is fake. Hundreds of hundreds of consumers have entry to Alexa+ and we’re continually inviting extra clients which have requested Early Access.
Sveum additionally shared the beneath screenshot of what the e-mail invite ought to appear to be.
Alexa Plus is Amazon’s generative AI-updated model of Alexa, which it introduced in February is free to Amazon Prime subscribers or $19.99 a month in any other case.
While Reuters doesn’t say Alexa Plus isn’t obtainable to clients but, it does quote an analyst who stated, “There appears to be nobody who really has it.”
The outlet additionally reported that its efforts to seek out any real-world Alexa Plus customers got here up empty, writing that it had “searched dozens of reports websites, YouTube, TikTok, X, BlueSky and Meta’s Instagram and Facebook, in addition to Amazon’s Twitch and opinions of Echo voice-assistant units on Amazon.com.” It added that it spoke with two individuals who’d posted on Reddit claiming to have used Alexa Plus, however that they “didn’t present Reuters with onerous proof and their identities couldn’t be corroborated.”
Still, Engadget reported right this moment {that a} wave of emails had gone out on Friday, inviting Amazon Alexa customers to check out Alexa Plus. The outlet additionally reported that an Amazon spokesperson had informed it “a whole bunch of hundreds” of consumers have tried the assistant.
Amazon began rolling out its early entry program to some clients on the finish of March. At the time, it was lacking options like the flexibility to order takeout from Grubhub utilizing conversational context, or establish members of the family and remind them about chores. A web page on Amazon’s web site notes that some options are nonetheless “coming quickly,” like having the ability to entry Alexa Plus in an internet browser or on a Fire TV or Amazon pill. The firm has stated it’s prioritizing those that personal sure Echo Show units above others.
