Updated Alexa Plus Gets Expanded AI Capabilities for Smart Home Control

Amazon is rolling out an update for its AI assistant Alexa Plus, expanding its capabilities for controlling smart home devices. Alexa Plus can now interact with appliances from Bosch, Delta, Ecovacs, iRobot, Yale Home, Whirlpool, Tapo, Eufy, and other brands, automatically routing requests to the appropriate device. In an Amazon example, a user with a supported washing machine can say, "Alexa, my child's soccer jersey needs cleaning, but the tag says cold wash only," and Alexa Plus will select the appropriate cycle on its own. The new integrations are powered by Amazon's AI toolkit, which simplifies connecting devices to Alexa Plus, including those with unique features. Amazon is also introducing the Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open standard for connecting AI models to external systems, enabling brands like Canva, Headspace, Priceline, Lyft, Cengage, Virgin Atlantic, and Weekend to launch integrations later this year. For instance, Priceline will allow hotel bookings via Alexa Plus, while Atom Tickets, Cengage, Fandango, and Taskrabbit will soon support payments through Amazon Wallet.