Probably the greatest options of Amazon’s new Alexa Plus is that I don’t must “communicate Alexa” anymore. I’ve been testing the voice assistant for a couple of week now, and it understands what I say, no matter how I say it — there’s no extra want for exact phrasing to get Alexa to do what I need. This massive shift underpins one other headline characteristic of the revamped generative AI-powered assistant that I’ve been testing: agentic AI. However this one wants work.
The concept is I can speak to Alexa Plus as I’d to an actual private assistant and ask it to do duties, akin to reserving a restaurant for my buddy’s birthday, discovering an electrician to repair my damaged sprinkler pump, or reserving tickets to a Chris Isaak live performance.
The assistant can then act as an “AI agent” and navigate on-line providers on my behalf to guide the whole lot for me. Mixed with higher calendar administration and the power to recollect stuff you inform it, Alexa’s agentic AI has the potential to make the assistant far more helpful.
Alexa’s AI agent options are neither broad sufficient nor seamless sufficient to exchange my real-life private assistant: me
A minimum of in principle. In actuality, it’s too restricted. Alexa Plus depends on partnerships with particular providers; it may possibly’t simply roam the net and do my bidding. As of now, that features Ticketmaster, OpenTable, Uber, and Thumbtack. Whereas impressively, Alexa did handle to finish a number of steps, general, the AI agent’s present options are neither broad sufficient nor seamless sufficient to exchange my real-life private assistant: me.
Alexa Plus remains to be in an Early Entry beta section, and Amazon says extra integrations are coming quickly. These embody ordering groceries by voice (through “a number of grocery suppliers within the US”), supply by means of Grubhub, and reserving spa visits by means of Vagaro.
These could also be extra helpful to me, particularly grocery ordering. I already use Alexa for my buying record, however I then must put the whole lot into my Harris Teeter buying app for pickup or supply. If Alexa may take that record and add it to a service like Instacart, it might minimize out a piece of labor for me.
Of the three agentic experiences I examined, the most effective was reserving a ticket to an occasion by means of Ticketmaster. After a dodgy begin — after I requested about sports activities occasions and was advised a couple of youth basketball coaching session — I attempted once more. “What occasions are there in Charleston subsequent month you could purchase me tickets for?”
Alexa produced a listing of about 10 native sports activities occasions and live shows on the Echo Present 15 I used to be utilizing (Alexa Plus is far more helpful on a screened machine). It advised me, “You’ve bought music exhibits like Blackberry Smoke and Mike Campbell on August fifth and Collective Soul on August sixth. There’s additionally a Treatment tribute band on August 2nd. Something catch your curiosity?”
I noticed a Chris Isaak live performance within the record (I like an excellent Depraved Sport) and advised it to guide me tickets. It discovered balcony seats for $98.15 every and requested what number of I needed, whereas additionally exhibiting me dearer choices.
I chosen a budget seats, and it walked me by means of every step because it added them to my cart, ending with a checkout button the place my bank card particulars have been pre-populated. (I’d linked my Ticketmaster account within the Alexa app after I first arrange Alexa Plus.)
I canceled earlier than buying, as a result of I don’t love a Depraved Sport $200 a lot, and Alexa confirmed that the tickets have been launched. Nonetheless, alarmingly, later that day, a pop-up within the Alexa app advised me that anybody with entry to my Alexa gadgets can order tickets. Amazon: I’ll take a PIN choice right here, please.
Subsequent, I requested Alexa to “guide a dinner for 2 in downtown Charleston for tomorrow evening at 7PM.” It returned three choices, which is simply unhappy — Charleston has a hopping foodie scene. I picked a French spot I’d been to earlier than and adjusted it up, asking Alexa to “make it for 2 weeks on Friday.” Unfazed, Alexa understood, pivoted and confirmed availability for Friday, July thirty first, at 7PM, then requested if I needed to guide. After I confirmed, it mentioned it might additionally add the reservation to my linked Gmail calendar. Useful!
Alexa had tousled the date
Or so I believed. I then acquired a textual content message from OpenTable, confirming my reservation for Thursday, July thirty first. Alexa had tousled the date. I advised Alexa to modify the reservation to Friday, August 1st, and it did, additionally updating my calendar.
Whereas it will definitely booked the desk, Alexa took longer to do it and was much less correct than if I’d simply opened the OpenTable app on my telephone (or extra realistically, the Resy app that the majority eating places in Charleston use) and performed it myself.
Lastly, I had Alexa sort out a chore I’ve been laying aside for 2 years: discovering an electrician. I’ve been that means to get the circuit for my sprinkler pump mounted for ages. It’s on the identical one as my web router, so when the pump kicks in, it journeys the circuit — and down goes my Wi-Fi.
The massive distinction is that I did all of this hands-free
I advised Alexa I wanted an electrician to repair the sprinkler system, and requested if it may guide one. It pulled a listing of a number of “extremely rated electricians” in my space through Thumbtack, highlighting the highest three. I picked one and requested it to schedule a go to for every week from now. Alexa requested a number of follow-up questions on my home and the precise problem — it felt a bit like filling out a webform with my voice. Alexa, then mentioned it was engaged on sending the request by means of the Thumbtack web site, and that I’d get updates quickly.
Just a few hours later, nonetheless no phrase from Alexa. However I acquired an e-mail from Thumbtack (the primary of many…) and a textual content message from the electrician asking me to name or textual content to schedule an appointment. Not precisely the seamless set-it-and-forget-it expertise I’d hoped for.
Nonetheless, the large distinction is that I did all of this hands-free. I could possibly be establishing dinner dates and discovering electricians whereas cooking dinner or folding laundry. As a working mom of two, something that helps with multitasking so I can full my to-do record quicker is welcome. However whereas the tech is spectacular, the dearth of depth and the failures I skilled in two out of my three exams imply I don’t plan to depend on Alexa to do these duties for me simply but.
Pictures by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
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