Yesterday, Reuters ran a narrative with the headline “Weeks after Amazon’s Alexa+ AI launch, a thriller: the place are the customers?,” during which it detailed its problem finding first-hand accounts of the AI-upgraded assistants’ use on-line. The Verge requested Amazon in regards to the story, and the corporate has responded to say that the concept that Alexa Plus isn’t out there is “merely mistaken.”
Right here’s the corporate’s full — and fairly strongly-worded! — assertion on the matter, offered by Amazon spokesperson Eric Sveum by way of e-mail to The Verge:
It’s merely mistaken to say that Alexa+ isn’t out there to prospects—that assertion is fake. A whole bunch of hundreds of shoppers have entry to Alexa+ and we’re always inviting extra prospects which have requested Early Entry.
Sveum additionally shared the beneath screenshot of what the e-mail invite ought to appear like.
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.
Whereas Reuters doesn’t say Alexa Plus isn’t out there to prospects 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 search out any real-world Alexa Plus customers got here up empty, writing that it had “searched dozens of stories websites, YouTube, TikTok, X, BlueSky and Meta’s Instagram and Fb, in addition to Amazon’s Twitch and critiques of Echo voice-assistant gadgets 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 exhausting proof and their identities couldn’t be corroborated.”
Nonetheless, Engadget reported immediately {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 instructed it “tons of of hundreds” of shoppers have tried the assistant.
Amazon began rolling out its early entry program to some prospects on the finish of March. On the time, it was lacking options like the power 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 Fireplace TV or Amazon pill. The corporate has stated it’s prioritizing those that personal sure Echo Present gadgets above others.
