Amazon launches Alexa+ in Italy: restaurant reservations, smart home management, shopping and natural conversations. Included in Prime, free in Early Access. The big leap in voice AI is here, overdue, but full of promise.
It took him a while. Perhaps more than necessary, in a sector where months are worth years. But today, finally, Alexa+ is available in Italy in Early Accessand Amazon is willing to bet it was worth the wait.
The new one personal assistant based on generative artificial intelligence of Amazon makes its Italian debut in what the company defines as a turning point: not a simple software update, but a radical transformation of what a voice assistant can do for people and their families. A transformation which, however, arrives in a profoundly different context from that in which it was originally conceived.
A long gestation
The intelligent version of Alexa saw the light debuting in March in the USA after a troubled gestation, with a few too many problems and some delays. There was talk of this implementation already after summer 2024, but the path to a mature product turned out to be bumpier than expected.
The reasons are different, one of the most justifiable is that this new version is not a mere translation of the American service, but an application designed specifically for our country.
This is where the Alexa Research and Development Center in Turinwhere Italian scientists, engineers and linguists worked to give the assistant a authentically Italian personality. He knows the football teams, the most loved music, the traditional dishes: you can ask «When is the next home game?» without specifying the team, and she will understand why she has learned, day after day, to know us.
In Italy Alexa+ has not only been translated, but adapted to the way people actually speak. The work focused on linguistic nuances, colloquial expressions and regional differences.
Not just smarter
The real innovation of Alexa+ is not simply the ability to answer more complex questions. It’s the possibility of transform intentions into concrete actions. The new architecture connects hundreds of services and devices using Amazon Bedrock’s advanced language models, allowing the assistant to act on your behalf in the physical and digital world.
In practice: Alexa+ can make restaurant reservations taking into account the food preferences of the whole family, lower the thermostat when it simply says «it’s hot here», suggest a gift and have it delivered, create a shopping list based on your home habits, or start the robot vacuum cleaner with a natural command like «clean here». A chatbot that responds is useful, but an assistant who takes action really changes your day. This is the promise of Alexa+.
Third-party services already integrated include Amazon Music, Spotify, Apple Music and, starting in the next few weeks, TheFork for voice bookings. New partners will continue to be added in the coming months including Trip Advisor.
How to get Alexa+ in Italy now
For those who want to start immediately, there are two paths. The first is the most immediate: buy a new Echo device among those designed specifically to support next-generation experiences. The reference models are Echo Show 11, Echo Show 8, Echo Dot Max and Echo Studio, equipped with greater processing power and edge computing capabilities to handle advanced AI functions.
The second option is for those who already own a compatible Echo: you can register on amazon.it/nuovalexa to express your interest in Early Access. Over the coming months, Amazon will progressively invite Italian customers to participate, gradually expanding the service.
During the Early Access period, Alexa+ is free for everyone. Subsequently, the service will be available at 22.99 euros per monthbut will remain included at no additional cost for all Amazon Prime subscribers, adding to the benefits already included such as fast deliveries, Prime Video, Amazon Music Prime and much more.
The challenge is open
Amazon arrives in Italy with Alexa+ after customers in the country interacted with the previous version for the last three years over 40 billion times. A huge user base, accustomed to Alexa’s voice in the home, which is now called upon to make a qualitative leap towards a radically different experience.
The question is whether that base is still there waiting for her, or whether in the meantime she has already found answers elsewhere. ChatGPT and Gemini have raised the bar of expectations. Alexa+ has the tools to meet the challenge, but the days of the pioneering advantage are long gone. Now it’s time to convince on the field.
