Amazon’s AI assistant Alexa+ now works with Angi, Expedia, Square, and Yelp

Amazon is enhancing its AI-driven assistant, Alexa+, by introducing several new functionalities. Announced on Thursday, the tech giant revealed plans to integrate with four major platforms—Angi, Expedia, Square, and Yelp—starting in 2026. This development will empower users to easily book hotels, request home service quotes, and schedule salon appointments, among other tasks. With the addition of Expedia, users will have the ability to compare, book, and manage their hotel stays seamlessly. They can also convey their preferences directly to Alexa for tailored recommendations, such as asking for pet-friendly accommodations in Chicago for an upcoming weekend. These new features complement Alexa+'s existing partnerships with services like Fodor, OpenTable, Suno, Ticketmaster, Thumbtack, and Uber. In a manner akin to ChatGPT's approach of integrating applications into its chatbot, Amazon's goal is to facilitate easier access to various online services through its assistant. For example, users can instruct Alexa to summon an Uber or reserve a dinner table via OpenTable. The assistant's conversational capabilities allow for interactive dialogues, where users can refine their requests as needed. The acceptance of this innovative approach remains uncertain. However, Amazon has provided insights into how early users of Alexa+ have engaged with these integrations, highlighting strong interaction rates with home and personal service platforms like Thumbtack and Vagaro. The industry is exploring the concept of AI assistants functioning as app platforms in an effort to broaden consumer access to AI technology. Yet, this shift necessitates a change in user behavior, as many are accustomed to interacting with online services through websites or mobile applications. To encourage this transition, utilizing AI for app access must be perceived as equally, if not more, convenient than traditional methods. This will require AI providers to either match the vast array of services found in conventional app stores or excel at recommending apps at opportune moments without overwhelming users with intrusive suggestions.