#Alexa+

[lilslilword]

Recently getting into listening to ambient noises to go to sleep (I can definitely go to sleep without them, but they are like an alarm telling me to relax. It’s also helping me because I’m very jumpy and usually can not sleep without them any sound at all… still can’t honestly, but it is helping with relaxation).

My favorite was fireplace, because the crackle of the fire, but now brown noise… I LOVE BROWN NOISE it’s so calming and honestly is helping me focus more. Usually listen to it while reading a book to help calm myself down for the night.

[laurentgiret]

Alexa+, the next generation of Amazon's AI assistant is now available in early access for over 1 million testers in the US.

[piriie]

omg omg

[thecollectibles]

Steven Universe - Art Nouveau Series by Alexa Rockman

[ai-hax]

Amazon stellt Nova Act vor: Ein neuer KI-Agent für das Web

[ncutii-gatwa]

Ncuti Gatwa as Algernon Moncrieff in "The Importance of Being Earnest"

[onesmartcrib]

How To Get Notified About the NEW Alexa+! 🚀

[larevuegeek]

Alexa+, l'assistant vocal d'Amazon passe à la vitesse supérieure !

Amazon mise sur l'intelligence artificielle pour faire évoluer son assistant vocal. Avec Alexa+, la marque promet une interaction plus fluide et plus intelligente. Mais qu'apporte réellement cette mise à jour et que faut-il en attendre ?

Alexa+, l'assistant vocal d'Amazon passe à la vitesse supérieure ! - LaRevueGeek.com

[nickgerlich]

One More Plus Sign

It’s a great time to be alive. Well, it sure beats the alternative, but as I look back over six-and-a-half decades, I can say with all candor that the changes I see around me are likely the most significant to occur in my lifetime.

More significant than the internet or world wide web. More significant than mobile technology, e-commerce, global communication. And definitely more significant than social media.

That leaves AI, the two letters that became a household word in November 2022 with the public release of ChatGPT. AI has been around much longer, of course, tracing its humble origins to 1956, when the phrase was first coined at the Dartmouth Conference. Heck, that means it is even older than me.

In just the last 28 months, though, we have embraced AI as if we had known about it all along, a prodigal predicted to arrive one day and show us how to live a better life. There are more than 140 AI platforms available today, but the ones we are most likely to come in contact with are ChatGPT, Apple AI, Google AI (every single time we search), Rufus on Amazon, and Claude from Anthropic.

There’s always room for more, right? Amazon just announced Alexa+, the new and improved personal assistant that powers our Echo devices. It’s just that while much of the AI we have experienced thus far has been free, Alexa+ will set back the average person $19.99 a month. Or, if you are already an Amazon Prime member paying $139 a year, you get it for free. This is a no-brainer, and Amazon knows it, because they would much rather have you onboarded for frequent shopping.

Before I continue, I must chastise Amazon a little bit for relying on one of the most common tropes in premium software and streaming options. How many more services do we need with the ubiquitous “+” sign in the name? Surely their creative people could have come up with something a little more unique.

The new and improved Alexa will arrive by the end of the month, and promises enhanced abilities for more natural conversation, as well as the ability to perform more granular tasks than just curating a shopping list, fetching the weather, setting kitchen timers, and playing music. Think hailing an Uber or finding tickets to an event.

Furthermore, one more reason to just become a Prime member is the integrated feature of being able to rapidly skip forward to a specific segment in a movie, such as where a song is playing. This requires Amazon Music and Amazon Prime Video, which, of course, come with a Prime membership. Do it.

Perhaps the best part of Alexa+ is that it will work with nearly every Echo device ever released, something that Apple cannot claim with its own proprietary AI. Only the oldest Alexa devices will not support her enhanced features.

Once again, there are enormous consumer behavior and digital marketing aspects to consider here. How much AI are people willing to allow into their daily lives? Welcoming Alexa in her earliest iterations wasn’t as big of a stretch, because we always felt like we were smarter than her. But now it appears that there may be an equal in the room.

Then there are the trust issues with shopping by verbal command. Will mistakes be made? Will she correctly buy Taylor Swift concert tickets, or will you find yourself with practically useless tickets to see the St. James Swifts Football Club in Northern Ireland? Hey, it could happen, and believe me, I had to stretch a bit to find something else with Swift in the name.

There is still the ongoing discussion about having an omnipresent device with eyes and ears able to witness, as well as record and act upon, everything we say. I for one use the little slide to cover the lens on my Echo Show 15 in the kitchen, but she’s still able to hear everything I say. In fact, if I get through the audio of this blog without all of the Alexa devices scattered throughout the house not responding, I will be surprised.

There are also security concerns as well. What if someone were able to hack into our Alexa devices and cause all manner of mayhem? If people can hack into baby cameras, I don’t see why this isn’t a possibility. And since Alexa will pair nicely with Ring security cameras, also made by Amazon, can you imagine a creeper hijacking your system and watching your every move inside your own home? Yikes.

With every technological advance, though, we have implicitly had to place increasing amounts of trust in that technology. Alexa+ is not as dumb as a hammer; this is practically a living, breathing organism. In the end, it is up to us how much we allow her, and most certainly a slew of competing products to come, to be front and center in our lives.

I’m good with it. Well, until her first big mistake, and then I’ll have to reconsider. I am anxious to see all she can do.I also hope that she doesn’t land with a thud like a bad April fool’s joke.

Dr “Just Trying To Stay Alive” Gerlich

Audio Blog

[lilslilword]

I’ve had an Alexa for years now and whenever I ask for anything I always say thank you afterwards… (it’s a Southern thing/ rudeness/how I was raised) now with the Alexa+ it said you’re welcome back and I’m not crying over technological advances, but come on… it said you’re welcome

[laurentgiret]

Alexa+, the next-gen version of Amazon’s assistant, is launching in early access in the US today, and it's currently free to both Prime and non-Prime members.

[teknowebadnanguney]

Amazon, Sesli Asistanı Alexa'nın Sizin Yerinize Her Şeyi Yapabilen Yapay Zekâ Destekli Versiyonunu Duyurdu: Alexa+

Amazon, Alexa’nın üretken yapay zekâ destekli versiyonu Alexa+’�� kullanıma sunmaya başladığını duyurdu. Sesli asistan, artık çok daha akıllı. Yapay zekâ konusunda adım atan şirketler arasında bulunan Amazon, dün Türkiye desteği henüz bulunmayan sesli asistanı Alexa’yı baştan aşağı değiştirecek bir duyuru yaptı. Asistanın üretken yapay zekâ destekli versiyonunun nihayet çıkış yapacağı ifade…

[smytherines]

tearing up thinking about the fact that Mark was only able to save Gemma because of innie solidarity. Because Helly stole Milchick's walkie talkie and trapped him, giving Mark the opportunity to escape. Because Dylan got back to the severed floor and saw some shit going down and without question threw his body on the line too. Because Lorne was exhausted watching her beloved goats sacrificed to the corporate machine and wasn't willing to stand by and watch Drummond kill one of their own. Because the entire Choreography and Merriment department responded to Helly pleading for help in a scene straight out of Norma Rae

Not a single one of them had ever met Gemma Scout, but they knew Ms. Casey was one of them. An injury to one is an injury to all