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Amazon is expanding its AI digital assistant Alexa + with new capabilities. The company announced on Thursday that it is adding four new integrations to the service that will enable the assistant to work with them. Log in, Expedia, Squareand Yelp starting in 2026.
These add-ons allow customers to book hotels, get financing for household chores, and schedule salon appointments, among other things. With Expedia, customers can compare, book, and manage hotel reservations, or tell Alexa what they like to receive recommendations. (eg, “Can you get me a place to stay with my pets this weekend in Chicago?”)
The new services include Alexa+ integrations with Fodor, OpenTable, Suno, Ticketmaster, Thumbtack, and Uber.
Similar to how ChatGPT is now integrate software into its chatbotAmazon wants to make it easier for consumers to use various online services through a digital assistant. For example, you can ask Alex to call you an Uber or make a restaurant reservation with OpenTable.
You can also talk to the AI ​​assistant in natural languages, have background conversations, and manage your request as you go.
Whether users will adopt this idea, of course, remains to be seen.
However, Amazon gave a small preview of how early adopters of Alexa + used the integration, noting that, so far, home and personal service providers such as Thumbtack and Vargaro have seen “strong” action.
Using AI agents as software platforms is a model that is being tested across industries as another way to bring AI to the masses. But this will require users to get used to a new way of doing things, as many are used to engaging in online activities via the web or mobile apps. In order to be successful in getting consumers to change their behavior, using software through AI will need to be seen as easy, if not easier, than the current model.
In order to achieve this, AI providers may need to match the size of online services offered by traditional stores, which are already better selected than those available online. Or, service providers will need to get better at designing apps to be used at the right time, without seeming forced, as much as possible for users. identify inappropriate content as advertising.
