Amazon announced Tuesday that Alexa+, its enhanced artificial intelligence assistant, will be coming to the Amazon Music app for iOS and Android devices.
This feature is currently available on all Amazon Music subscription plans, but is only available to Alexa+ Early Access users. (To access Alexa+, tap the “a” button in the lower right corner and ask a question using your phone's built-in microphone.)
The introduction of Alexa+ to Amazon Music aims to create a more conversational approach to music discovery. Unlike the previous version of Alexa, which only responded to basic commands, Alexa+ was designed to engage in natural dialogue.
Users can ask specific and vague questions, such as about an artist's influences or exploring the deeper meanings of songs. It can also help you recall the title of the song by giving you the words you remember, or even mentioning the movie it was used in.
Additionally, Alexa+ can create personalized playlists tailored to specific needs, such as “Create a playlist of 2010 hits that keep me moving quickly, starting with a Nicki Minaj song,” the company suggests.
Here are some other examples the company provided: “Can you recommend some new music that would make me seem cool to my 13-year-old daughter without trying too hard?” and “What is the song that plays during the opening credits of The Sopranos?”
Alexa+ was first announced in February at the company's hardware event and is positioned as one of the first consumer-focused agent tools on the market. This assistant can perform activities on your behalf, such as making restaurant reservations and ordering groceries.
While Alexa+ is still in its early stages of development and not yet widely available, it has already been rolled out to over a million users.
The company reported that Amazon Music listeners who try the feature are three times more likely to explore songs with Alexa+ than with the original assistant, and people looking for recommendations listen to almost 70% more music.
In light of Spotify's recent integration with ChatGPT, this could be a strategic move by Amazon to compete with the music streaming giant and showcase its own investments in artificial intelligence. Amazon Music has already incorporated numerous AI features into its app, with the latest additions being weekly AI-generated playlists, AI-powered search, and an “Explore” feature that helps users learn more about their favorite artists.
