Alexa Is About To Get Smarter - Forbes

What the report says

Forbes reports that Amazon has announced a substantial update to Alexa Plus, adding artificial intelligence features intended to make the assistant more useful with connected home products and outside services. The features are currently in preview and include an AI-based smart home developer toolkit, support for the Model Context Protocol, and Amazon Wallet integration for purchases made by voice.

According to Forbes, the smart home changes are aimed at reducing the need for rigid device commands. Alexa Plus is being designed to interpret more conversational requests and choose relevant settings on compatible devices. The report gives the example of a user asking for a deep clean on cold-wash-only work clothes, with Alexa Plus selecting an appropriate washing machine cycle. Amazon also says the assistant can learn from household patterns and suggest automations, such as linking a coffee maker to a morning alarm.

The update also gives device makers more ways to expose product features through Alexa Plus. Forbes lists brands including Bosch, Delta, Ecovacs, Govee, iRobot, Moen Flo, PetSafe, SONOFF, Tapo, Twinkly, Whirlpool, Yale Home and Anker Innovations among those adopting the toolkit. Amazon says Alexa Plus users increased smart home activity by nearly 50% in the first month after upgrading and created twice as many Routines as before.

Outside the home, MCP support is meant to simplify connections between Alexa Plus and third-party tools. Forbes says companies such as Canva, Headspace, Lyft, Priceline, Viator, Virgin Atlantic, Brightline, FlixBus and Greyhound are expected to build Alexa Plus experiences using the framework later this year. The development matters because it signals Amazon’s effort to reposition Alexa as a broader AI platform rather than only a voice-controlled speaker assistant.