Amazon has launched Alexa+, its generative AI-powered voice assistant, in India, bringing more natural conversations, personalised responses and new features designed for Indian households.
Alexa+ began its Early Access rollout in India on September 16. It can understand conversations more naturally, remember context and help users with tasks including shopping, meal planning, scheduling, music discovery and smart-home controls.
Designed for families and children
Amazon says Alexa+ has been developed with families in mind, including households with children. Parents can use existing Amazon Kids parental controls to help manage children’s interactions with Alexa and access age-appropriate experiences.
The assistant can entertain and support children through stories, games, quizzes, educational questions and other voice-based activities. Amazon has highlighted the role Alexa already plays in households with young children, where families use it for rhymes, stories and answers to everyday questions.
The addition of generative AI allows Alexa+ to handle more open-ended conversations rather than simply responding to individual commands.
Alexa+ understands Indian languages
The new assistant has been adapted for India’s multilingual households and supports English, Hindi and Hinglish at launch. Users can switch between languages during conversations, while Amazon says additional Indian languages will be added in the future.
Alexa+ is available in India through Early Access at no charge initially. Amazon says it will subsequently be free for Prime members, while other eligible users will have paid access.
The launch marks a significant expansion of Amazon’s generative AI assistant into the Indian market, with the company seeking to make voice-based AI more useful for everyday family life.