Amazon denies it planned to disclose cost of US tariffs on its website
Amazon says it never planned to display Trump-era tariffs on product pages, disputing a report that drew a sharp response from the White House.
Amazon is set to roll out Alexa+, a next-generation update to its popular voice assistant powered by generative AI, with early access scheduled to begin in March.
The new service, which will coexist with the current Alexa and be offered for $20 a month (free for Prime members), promises enhanced conversational capabilities, improved contextual understanding, and the ability to summarize complex topics and offer personalized suggestions.
During a recent presentation, Daniel Rausch, vice president of Alexa and Fire TV, outlined how Alexa+ will distinguish itself through deeper integration with third-party services and broader online resources. “Alexa+ isn’t just about answering your questions; it’s about actively interacting with the services you use,” Rausch explained. He detailed three primary integration methods:
Existing App Integrations: Alexa+ already works with tens of thousands of services, including partners such as Uber, Sonos, Samsung, and Xbox, ensuring that many popular apps are readily accessible through voice commands.
Web Navigation Capabilities: For services without dedicated apps or APIs, Alexa+ can navigate websites on behalf of users. In a live demonstration, Rausch showed the assistant accessing the Thumbtack website to hire a professional for oven repairs, streamlining tasks that would otherwise require manual browsing.
Interaction with AI Agents: Alexa+ will also be able to collaborate with AI agents on other sites, allowing users to interact with a single, unified assistant rather than multiple chatbots. One example highlighted involved generating a country-style song through an AI music generator.
Rausch emphasized that upgrading to Alexa+ will be seamless, with no need for additional sign-ins or complex setups. “Customers love Alexa because it takes away the complexity,” he said. “We would never take that away. Whether it’s setting up connected devices or adding new services, Alexa+ is designed to make the process even simpler.”
Addressing potential concerns about the reliability of generative AI, Rausch noted that Alexa+ employs a combination of large language models, Amazon’s knowledge graphs, and trusted online sources. “LLMs are at the foundation, but they’re not the only thing answering the question,” he remarked, adding that the assistant is built to minimize errors and ground its responses in verifiable information.
While the enhancements showcased in controlled demos are promising, industry observers note that real-world performance remains to be seen. If Alexa+ can deliver on its promise of seamless integration with both established apps and a wider range of online services, it could reinforce Amazon’s position in the competitive consumer AI space against rivals like Google, Apple, and OpenAI.
For now, early access to Alexa+ is anticipated in March, with users and developers keenly awaiting how these advanced features will perform in everyday scenarios.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on May 15, with discussions reportedly focusing on upcoming peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegates in Istanbul.
Qatar signed a landmark agreement with U.S. aerospace giant Boeing on Wednesday to acquire 160 aircraft for Qatar Airways, a deal valued at $200 billion. The signing took place in Doha during the visit of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Ukrainian and Russian delegations meet behind closed doors at Istanbul’s Dolmabahçe Palace at 10:00 local time today to explore security guarantees, territorial integrity and a possible ceasefire.
EU approves 17th Russia sanctions, blacklisting almost 200 shadow‑fleet ships, 30 evasion firms and 75 defence figures, banning missile chemicals and arming Brussels to strike Kremlin hybrid and operations.
Tensions flare in the India-France Rafale deal as France refuses to share the fighter jet’s source code, limiting India’s ability to integrate indigenous weapons and reducing its combat autonomy.
Taiwan's Computex tech show brought together thousands of international participants on Tuesday, showcasing the highly advanced Artificial Intelligence and robotic systems.
Microsoft announced on Monday that it will begin hosting AI models from Elon Musk's xAI, Meta Platforms, and European startups like Mistral and Black Forest Labs in its own data centers.
Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun announced a $6.9 billion investment plan over the next decade to develop advanced chips, unveiling the new Xring O1 system-on-chip this Thursday, aiming to boost the company’s high-end smartphone strategy and reduce reliance on Qualcomm.
NASA’s Perseverance rover has spotted the first aurora on Mars visible to the human eye, offering a glimpse of what future astronauts might one day enjoy under the Martian sky.
China and Russia have agreed to build a nuclear-powered lunar base by 2036 at the Moon’s south pole. The International Lunar Research Station will support scientific research and resource exploration, marking a major step in their joint space efforts amid shifting global space priorities.
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