Yesterday, Reuters ran a narrative with the headline “Weeks after Amazon’s Alexa+ AI launch, a thriller: the place are the customers?,” through which it detailed its issue 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 incorrect.”
Right here’s the corporate’s full — and fairly strongly-worded! — assertion on the matter, offered by Amazon spokesperson Eric Sveum through electronic mail to The Verge:
It’s merely incorrect to say that Alexa+ isn’t obtainable to clients—that assertion is fake. A whole bunch of 1000’s of consumers have entry to Alexa+ and we’re always inviting extra clients which have requested Early Entry.
Sveum additionally shared the under 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 obtainable to clients but, it does quote an analyst who mentioned, “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 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.”
Nonetheless, Engadget reported as we speak {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 “lots of of 1000’s” of consumers have tried the assistant.
Amazon began rolling out its early entry program to a couple clients on the finish of March. On the time, it was lacking options like the power to order takeout from Grubhub utilizing conversational context, or determine 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 with the ability to entry Alexa Plus in an online browser or on a Hearth TV or Amazon pill. The corporate has mentioned it’s prioritizing those that personal sure Echo Present units above others.