Amazon Says Several New Devices Are Purpose-Built for AI-Powered Alexa+

Amazon unveiled the next generation of several of its devices Tuesday (Sept. 30), including Echo, Fire TV and Ring, that incorporate the company’s artificial intelligence (AI) assistant, Alexa+.

The four new Echo devices are purpose-built for Alexa+, the company said in a Tuesday press release. They come with early access to the AI assistant so that buyers can start using it right away.

The devices include custom-designed silicon chips with a new AI Accelerator, according to the release. The Echo Dot Max uses the AZ3 chip, which enables better conversation detection, while the Echo Studio, Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11 include the AZ3 Pro, which adds support for language models and vision transformers.

Amazon’s new Fire TV lineup uses Alexa+ to enable smart discovery that helps users find content they will enjoy watching, according to another Tuesday press release.

On the TVs, Alexa+ can help find shows in response to conversations with users — for example, the user might ask for something family-friendly — can take the user right to the show across streaming services, and can answer questions about the show as the user is watching it, per the release.

The company’s newest Fire TV Stick, the 4K Select, which delivers 4K picture quality, will soon support Alexa+, the release said.

Amazon’s new Ring cameras include a new feature powered by Alexa+ that acts as a “smart doorbell attendant,” the company said. This Alexa+ Greetings feature can ask strangers the purpose of their visit, manage deliveries and provide instructions. Plus, Familiar Faces recognizes familiar people so that users can reduce notifications triggered by these people.

Amazon also rolled out new Blink cameras, including two with 2K image quality, and new Kindle Scribe devices, including the first one that provides a color writing experience.

When Amazon unveiled Alexa+ in February, the company said this revamped version of its assistant is infused with generative AI to be more capable, conversational and agentic than its predecessor.

PYMNTS reported at the time that Alexa+ aligned with earlier PYMNTS Intelligence predictions that voice technology would have a growing impact on consumer behavior and had the potential to transform daily tasks.