Alexa+ is now available across Great Britain as part of an early access program, with hundreds of thousands of customers expected to get invitations in the weeks ahead, Amazon announced Thursday (March 19).
According to Amazon’s announcement, Alexa is the most popular voice assistant, with customers there interacting with the system more than 114 billion times in the last three years.
This new model being offered to U.K. users has been built to feel “genuinely British,” the company said.
“Alexa+ knows what a ‘cuppa’ is, will understand what you mean when you say you are ‘knackered,’’and knows that ‘it’s nippy’ means it’s chilly outside,” the announcement said. “It may even drop ‘you’re taking the mickey’ or ‘Bob’s your uncle’ into conversation.”
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The company uses the example of dates: Americans would say “March 19” while British people say “the 19th of March.” There are also different uses for the same term, the announcement added, such as “entrée” meaning the main course in the U.S. and a starter in the U.K.
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“Getting these details right is the difference between feeling understood and feeling like you’re talking to a translator,” Amazon said.
Amazon began its Alexa+ rollout last month, with this new version of the assistant designed to manage planning, search, smart-home coordination and task execution with greater contextual awareness. Amazon has positioned the tool as usable across Echo devices, mobile apps and the web, expanding Alexa into a broader AI interface layer.
“The launch, almost a year after its trial debut, marks Amazon’s most significant update to Alexa since its introduction and reflects pressure to keep pace with rapidly improving assistants tied to smartphones, operating systems and productivity tools,” PYMNTS wrote at the time.
Meanwhile, PYMNTS Intelligence research shows that among consumers who are open to using AI assistants, everyday planning and commerce-related activities are among the most appealing uses. Close to one-third of consumers say they would allow an AI agent to help with everyday planning and organization, making it the most cited type of task overall.
“Other categories cluster slightly lower but still show meaningful interest,” PYMNTS added. “Roughly one-quarter of consumers would allow an AI agent to assist with writing and communication, learning and self-improvement, or managing health and wellness information. Tasks such as planning travel and local activities or exploring entertainment and hobbies draw interest from about one in four consumers as well.”
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