Amazon is expanding its AI-powered digital assistant Alexa+ with new capabilities. The company announced on Thursday that it is adding four new integrations to the service that the assistant will be able to work with Enter, Expedia, SquareAND Whine starting from 2026.
These add-ons allow customers to book hotels, get quotes for home services, and schedule salon visits, among other things. With Expedia, customers can compare, book and manage hotel reservations, and let Alexa know their preferences to receive personalized recommendations. (e.g. “Can you find me pet-friendly hotels in Chicago this weekend?”)
The new services join existing Alexa+ integrations with Fodor, OpenTable, Suno, Ticketmaster, Thumbtack and Uber.
Much like ChatGPT is currently integrating apps with its chatbot, Amazon is trying to make it easier for consumers to use various online services through its digital assistant. For example, you can ask Alexa to call you an Uber or book a table for dinner using OpenTable.
You can also talk to the AI assistant in natural language, having a back-and-forth conversation, refining your request as you go.
Time will tell whether users will accept this idea.
Amazon, however, provided a small glimpse into how early adopters of Alexa+ are using the integration, noting that so far, home and personal services providers like Thumbtack and Vargaro have seen “strong” engagement.
Using AI assistants as application platforms is a model being tested across the industry as another way to make AI more widely available to consumers. However, this will require users to adapt to a new way of working, as many of them are used to using online services via the Internet or mobile applications. To successfully persuade consumers to change their behavior, using apps via AI will need to be perceived as as easy, if not easier, than the existing model.
For this to work, AI providers would need to at least match the range of online services provided by the traditional app store, which is already a more curated selection than those available on the Internet. Providers will also need to be very adept at suggesting apps to use at the right time without appearing intrusive, as users may perceive unwanted suggestions as advertisements.
