Communication And Collaboration: The Next Frontier Of AI
Currently, AI is at a stage similar to where the internet was in the early 1990s. The building blocks are here—powerful models, real business use cases and innovative startups. However, none of it is connected in a meaningful way yet.
Think back to those early days of the web. Websites were clunky. Browsers didn't agree on how to display them. Developers worked in isolation. It wasn't until shared languages like HTML and protocols like HTTP arrived that the web truly took off. Those standards transformed the internet from a scattered experiment into the global system we depend on today.
AI is facing that same turning point. Every company is building its own agents, copilots or chat interfaces. SaaS vendors are adding GenAI to their products. Enterprises are launching internal AI platforms to automate tasks, summarize reports and generate content. What we're not building is a way for these agents to communicate with each other coherently, securely or responsibly.
Right now, Salesforce's assistant doesn't meaningfully collaborate with Microsoft Copilot or your finance team's enterprise resource planning system. Each operates in its bubble, optimized for a single workflow, tool or department. Instead of unlocking intelligence across businesses, we're creating intelligent silos. This fragmentation is a significant obstacle to productivity, profitability and long-term operational success.
I've seen this firsthand in industries like telecom, HR and enterprise platforms. One of the biggest challenges in telecom wasn't network speed or device compatibility—it was systems that couldn't coordinate. IoT sounded like the future, but connected vehicles and smart grids struggled because carriers didn't share consistent standards for data or messaging. It took years before initiatives like the GSMA's eSIM brought common ground. Until then, every integration was a fragile and expensive one-off effort.
Now, we have an opportunity to solve that same coordination challenge at a much larger scale. AI agents will soon be everywhere—managing workflows, guiding customers, assisting product teams, even advising on compliance. Without shared frameworks, each of these agents will operate with a narrow view of the world. They won't be able to collaborate or build on each other's work.
The same pattern shows up in HR technology. Enterprises are investing millions into employee learning platforms, internal mobility programs and skills development systems. Employees often find themselves stuck between disconnected systems, wondering why their work in one part of the organization doesn't translate into meaningful growth elsewhere. GenAI could exacerbate this issue if each system generates its own independent recommendations. Without coordination, companies will soon have competing AI-generated guidance for the same person.
Enterprise SaaS is heading in the same direction. Today's tools are filled with isolated AI features. One tool drafts marketing copy, another predicts revenue, and another generates sales materials—but they don't share context or decisions. Teams won't know which tool has the correct version or whether critical steps are missing. Instead of making work easier, these systems risk adding new layers of confusion.
However, this is also the moment of possibility. We don't just need more intelligent agents. We need better foundations.
The next wave of AI innovation will depend on the development of shared protocols. Not just APIs or vendor integrations. We need true frameworks for agents to exchange context, share reasoning and work together to achieve outcomes, not just isolated outputs. Imagine something like TCP/IP but designed for intelligent systems—a standard protocol for communication, security and traceability that's built with global business in mind.
This concept is moving from theory to practice. Treating LLMs as a new kind of operating system can allow your specialized agents to run on them like applications. It's a decisive step, but it only addresses part of the problem. Enterprises don't just need individual operating systems—they need a universal way for agents across industries to collaborate. It's time to build something like an agent collaboration protocol, with open standards supported by both the public and private sectors.
Of course, protocols alone aren't enough. These systems also need embedded ethical frameworks, permission controls and security models. Otherwise, we risk intelligent agents working at cross purposes, leaking sensitive data or making decisions that don't align with business strategy. Governance should be an integral part of the design, not added as an afterthought.
Enterprise product leaders, CIOs and technology executives should lead this. It's time to stop focusing only on features and start focusing on foundations. This is what product leadership looks like in the next era. Those who help build these protocols will not only lead their industries—they will shape the future of global business.
The urgency is real. IDC projected in 2023 that the IoT market alone would surpass $1 trillion by 2026. GenAI is already becoming standard in every major enterprise software suite. Without shared frameworks, this next phase of growth will slow under the weight of duplicated effort and uncoordinated decision making. Enterprises that lead in shaping these foundations will define how industries operate for years to come.
We need a common language for intelligent agents—not just for convenience but for resilience, growth and trust. We've built the agents. Now, it's time to build the roads that connect them.
Intelligent agents won't change the world alone, but if we help them work together, they just might.
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11 minutes ago
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First impressions of Alexa+, Amazon's upgraded, AI-powered digital assistant
I owned a lot of Alexa-powered devices in my former home: There were Amazon Echos in most rooms, including an older Echo Plus in the living room, a smattering of Dots, a Spot in a bedroom, and an Echo Show in the kitchen. A Fire TV ran in the bedroom. And, in a drawer, a rarely used Fire HD tablet sat collecting dust. With the total loss of the home due to a March 2024 house fire, there also came a new opportunity: We could now make a fresh start to create a more modernized smart home after rebuilding our house. But whether Alexa still deserves to be the center of our connected home remains to be seen. To find out whether Alexa is still the best smart assistant for my family, I'm going to test Amazon's AI-powered devices, experiment with AI queries, and write out my thoughts in a multi-part series. With this series, I hope to offer consumers insights as to how well Alexa works in various real-world situations, not company demos. Alexa needed to catch up Amazon's assistant, which once gave its users Star Trek vibes as they ordered their home computer to close the blinds or turn off the lights or order milk, no longer seemed as revolutionary in the ChatGPT era. Today, people can engage with AI via text and voice chat. Modern AI chatbots and AI-powered services can answer so many more questions, are imaginative, can reason, can create images and art, generate videos, and, with the agentic AI, they can even perform online tasks on your behalf. In February 2025, Amazon announced a complete makeover of its digital voice assistant with the arrival of Alexa+, powered by generative AI. That service began rolling out slowly to customers in March and is now available to 'many millions' of users, Amazon says. The system is also model-agnostic, meaning Alexa+ can use whatever it needs in the moment to answer the question or complete the task. Alexa+ is using models from Anthropic and Amazon Nova, among others. The company teased that this improved Alexa could do more than set timers and alarms, control smart home devices, and answer questions. It leverages generative AI to make sense of information stored in Amazon users' accounts, understand their schedules, and their preferences. It can remember things, process files, and summarize a Ring camera's footage. Notably, Amazon says it's been working with partners to allow it to take actions for people, like booking dinner reservations or Uber rides, or buying concert tickets. Integrations with Amazon's own grocery service could also have it make shopping lists by speaking to it, and then have those products delivered. Essentially, it's aiming to bring agentic AI into the home. But before we can get to that, let's see how Alexa+ handles the basics. In the first part of this series, I'm going to set up Alexa+, use the app, and ask the assistant some questions that only the new Alexa+ can do. Later, I'll test the agentic AI features and smart home integrations. Setting up Alexa+ on an Echo Spot Device: Echo SpotDefault music service: Spotify (Premium) Before moving to my new home, I put Alexa+ to the test on a brand-new Echo Spot after being accepted into the beta. Since I couldn't yet hook up smart home devices in the Airbnb that's served as a temporary residence for over a year, I initially tried to test the device's AI in other ways. Mainly, I wanted to know if Alexa+ was really all that smart and useful, and if she could do all the things Amazon promised. Setting up the Spot was easier than it was with past devices, as now you only needed to scan a QR code to get the process started in the Alexa app. The app connected automatically to the home's Wi-Fi; no more weird toggling between the device's network and your own Wi-Fi. On the next screen, I accepted the invite to upgrade to the new Alexa+ for free, knowing that it's still possible to downgrade to the old Alexa service at any time, if things go wrong. Onboarding included a short video that explained that Alexa would learn more as I use it, and instructed me on how to talk to Alexa. I then connected my Google account, giving Alexa access to my inbox and calendar. I ended up on a blank page after doing so, oddly, but after closing the window, the screen informed me that my 'Account Linked.' (Disclosure: I am running the iOS 26 developer beta on my iPhone, so maybe that's the problem?) On the following screen, I picked the services I wanted to use with Alexa+, which today include OpenTable, Ticketmaster, Uber, and Thumbtack. I checked all the boxes, then moved to the following screen to grant the necessary permissions, one by one. While it's a bit tedious to do so — and something that could be even more tedious in time as more services are added — I did appreciate that it felt like I was in control of the data sharing and could see exactly what each service was requesting before agreeing. The following screen confirmed that Fodor's travel planning service was already integrated with Alexa+, but it didn't require permissions. It also noted that services like Uber Eats, Grubhub, and Vagaro would be added later on. The Alexa app itself is still sorely lacking in user interface design. Despite many updates, the app still feels somehow both plain and too busy. It lacks color and traditional mobile app navigation patterns, and it tries to cram too many examples of 'things to do' on its home screen. Meanwhile, trying to locate how to do the necessary first steps — like linking my preferred music service — is buried in the interface. Nope, you don't tap on your profile icon, Settings, and then scroll down to 'Preferred service providers.' For some reason, that's where you set your preferred News, Calendar, and Email providers, but not your preferred Music service. Instead, you tap on the hamburger menu at the bottom of the screen. You then tap on the 'Music & More' screen. (What's the More? Podcasts? Audiobooks?) I set Spotify as my default music service, the default choice for artists and genre stations, and the default for podcasts. There was no option to set my default audiobooks service. In this section, there was also a list of services I had previously linked with Alexa. Here, Amazon's Audible — which I would prefer to set as the default for audiobooks — was listed alongside other streamers, like Pandora, Amazon Music, Apple Music, and others. But when I tapped on Audible, I simply got an error that says 'You've reached the end of Alexa's knowledge. Just kidding. This skill no longer exists. Click here to go back.' Uh, OK. I mean, would it not make sense to just remove the broken thing that no longer exists? In any event, I'm here to try Alexa+, not yell at a poorly designed mobile app. I'll figure out audiobooks later, I guess. Note for this series: In these tests, I may have shared personal information with Alexa that I will not be publishing. In those cases, I will put a description of the item — like 'child's school' — in [brackets]. I have also slightly changed some of the dates, times, and numbers to further obscure any personal information that could be used to develop an understanding of my accounts, meetings, or household routines. Can Alexa+ manage the family's schedule? Busy households, especially ones with kids, often use a family calendar to track activities, doctor's appointments, errands, meetings, classes, and more. Our family calendar is maintained in Google Calendar, accessed on our phones through the native Google Calendar app, and on Mac desktops via the calendar app Fantastical. Amazon suggests that Alexa+ can help summarize your day, add new events to your calendar, identify conflicts, and more. In practice, Alexa was fairly adept at letting me inquire about the schedule and various events, but it interrupted me when I was asking to add a new meeting to my calendar. I said, 'Can you add a meeting to my calendar on August 6 at 2 p.m. with [entity] about …' Here she cut me off to ask, 'What would you like to title this meeting?' Annoying, but not end-of-the-world terrible, I suppose. I was more easily able to ask things like 'What's on my calendar today?' and follow up to ask further questions — like if there were any meetings later in the week or to repeat one of the appointments. I didn't have to say 'Alexa' again to continue the conversation. It felt more natural, but there's a very slight lag with her responses at times. (As an aside, when I went to find the history of my voice chats for writing this post, I asked Alexa where they could be found. She told me to look in the app's Settings under the More menu, then look for Alexa Privacy or Review Voice History. She's wrong. Neither option was there. I did, however, find my history from the 'Recent Chats' link on the app's home screen. Alexa, c'mon! Know thyself.) Alexa, remember this Another thing Alexa+ is supposed to be able to do is store information on your behalf. To test this out, I asked her to remember my frequent flier number. This interaction went poorly. Me: Alexa, can you remember my Delta SkyMiles number? Alexa: Sure, I'd be happy to remember your Delta SkyMiles number for you. What's the number? Me: *opens mouth to speak* Alexa: I've added that to Remember This in the Alexa privacy section of the app. Also, keep in my that anyone who has access to any of your Alexa devices can use their voice to hear its contents. Um, what? I tried again. Me: Alexa, can you remember my SkyMiles number? Alexa: Certainly! I'd be happy to remember your SkyMiles number for you. What's the number? OK, saved it. She didn't even take a breath! Curious, I asked her what she thinks the number is. She responded, 'I don't have your SkyMiles number saved yet. Would you like to tell me your number now?' Me: Yes. Alexa: OK, go ahead and tell me your Delta SkyMiles number. Me: [says the 8-digit number] Alexa: OK, saved it. Me: What's my SkyMiles number? Alexa: 'Six hundred fifty-two million, four hundred eighty-six thousand…' (Note: I changed the number for the purpose of this post, but yes, Alexa read it out like a long numeral instead of just saying 6-5-2-4-8-6, etc. Not helpful!) Alexa, read my email Alexa+ can now supposedly understand documents you upload in the Alexa app or forward to her at alexa@ using the email address associated with your Amazon account. To try this, I forwarded an email from my child's school. These come frequently and have a lot of useful information in them, but are often lost in the inbox. Perhaps if Alexa can handle this task, a new Gmail forwarding filter is in order? Me: Alexa, summarize the recent email from school. Alexa: The recent email from [my child's school] is a welcome-back letter for the 2025-2026 school year. It announces an 'Early Start Day' orientation on August [date] for new students, with an information session for new parents that evening. Regular classes begin on August [date]. Me: Was there any information specifically for [grade] in that email? Alexa: I don't see any information specifically for [grade] in that email. The letter mainly covers general school information, orientation dates, and important deadlines for all students. Great, that worked, it seems. But here's where things got a little trickier. Me: Are there any important dates I should add to my calendar? Alexa: *repeats the important dates from above* Me: Can you add those to my calendar for me? Alexa: (Who must have misheard me?) Checking your calendar. Sarah, your calendar is looking busy. You have [activity] ongoing until August 16th, you have [activity]. On Thursday, … Me: (interrupting) I was asking if you could add the dates in the email to my calendar for me? Alexa: Certainly, I'll do that. (Pause) I've added the following dates to your calendar: Is there anything else you'd like me to add? While this process seems efficient and is certainly helpful in a pinch, you'll notice I left it up to Alexa to determine which dates were 'important.' As a result, she picked the three dates closest to today. The email itself, however, contained a list of 12 important school dates, including things like Meet the Teacher Night, Open House, Midyear Graduation, and more. All of them were formatted the same way in the email under the heading 'Important Dates.' Had I only relied on Alexa and had not read the email itself, I would have missed these. Oh, dear. Alexa, help me save money Another Alexa+ promise is that she can help you track prices on Amazon so you can save money when things go on sale. Alright, I'll bite! I like online shopping. I decided to try tracking a couple of things, including one skin care item and a Coach handbag. These are things I definitely don't need, but want — the kinds of things where a discount could prompt a purchase. Me: Alexa, I want to know when the Glow Recipe Plum Plumping and Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Skin Care Serum goes on sale. Alexa: Just a second … I've set up a deal tracker for the Glow Recipe Plum Plumping Serum. I'll notify you when it goes on sale. Me: How much is it right now? Alexa: *silence* Me: Did you hear me? Alexa: Checking on that. Yes, I heard you. I've already set up a deal tracker for the Glow Recipe Plum Plumping Serum. You'll get a notification when it goes on sale. Me: How much is it now? Alexa: *More silence.* OK, I guess we'll wait on that one. Next up, I tried the handbag. Me: Alexa, I want to know when the Coach Swinger handbag goes on sale. Alexa: Certainly, I'll check that. Got it! I set up a deal tracker for the Coach Swinger handbag. I'll let you know when it goes on sale. Me: Is it out of stock in blue? Alexa: *Silence* Me: Is the Coach handbag I just asked you about out of stock in blue? (Note: it was, per Amazon's website at the time of the request.) Alexa: Let me check that for you. (Long pause) I found the Coach Swinger handbag, but it's currently available in black. The blue option isn't showing up in the search results, which might mean it's out of stock. Would you like more details about the available options? Me: No. The Coach Swinger handbag in blue does show up on the product page on the web, for what it's worth; it's listed as 'temporarily out of stock.' The bag is also available in both black and red, but Alexa only mentioned the black option for some reason. Not super helpful. And we'll have to wait to see if it ever goes on sale. Off to a slow start With these first introductory tests, Alexa+ seems very much like a beta product. She's trying but is prone to making mistakes and not being thorough. Sometimes, she doesn't even seem to hear me or doesn't know what to do. Given that many of these are out-of-the-box features that don't require integrations, you have to wonder how well Alexa+ will do at navigating the web and taking action for you. In the next installment of this series, I'll continue testing the AI and will try some of the agentic AI features with Alexa+. Sign in to access your portfolio
Business Wire
12 minutes ago
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AI in Africa to Top $16.5B by 2030: Mastercard Explores Path for Continued Digital Transformation
NAIROBI, Kenya--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mastercard has today released its latest whitepaper, Harnessing the transformative power of AI in Africa, a pan-African study of the continent's readiness, opportunity and roadmap for responsible artificial intelligence (AI) adoption. The whitepaper provides detailed insights into how AI—if deployed responsibly and inclusively—can unlock transformative outcomes across the continent's major industries, including agriculture, healthcare, education, energy and finance. With Africa's AI market projected to grow from USD 4.5 billion in 2025 to USD 16.5 billion by 2030 according to a recent report from Statista, the paper presents a clear case for multi-stakeholder collaboration and investment. It highlights how Africa's unique demographics, mobile-first infrastructure and entrepreneurial spirit position it as an active architect of the future. Mark Elliott, division president, Africa at Mastercard, commented: 'Africa's engagement with AI is already reshaping lives — not just in labs, but in farms, clinics and classrooms. To unlock its full potential, we need investment in infrastructure, data, talent, and policy. At Mastercard, we believe responsible, locally rooted AI can drive inclusive growth and connect more people to opportunity.' The whitepaper outlines the potential positive impact of AI on digital infrastructure, policy and governance, research and development, local language processing and investment into Africa. It also explores how AI can accelerate job creation, with up to 230 million digital jobs projected by 2030, and increase access to formal finance through AI-enabled credit scoring and fraud prevention. Greg Ulrich, chief AI and data officer, Mastercard, said: 'AI is only as powerful as the trust behind it. At Mastercard, we're committed to building AI that's responsible, inclusive, and built to bring value to our customers, partners and employees. This isn't just innovation—it's innovation with integrity.' Regional highlights covered in the whitepaper include: South Africa: South Africa attracted USD 610 million in AI-focused venture capital in 2023, with total AI investment expected to reach USD 3.7 billion by 2030. With the highest data and infrastructure readiness in Africa, the country is solidifying its role as a continental leader in AI research and application. It is home to the Artificial Intelligence Institute of South Africa which serves as a gateway for students and professionals to access world-class education, research and industry news. National plans aim to develop up to 300 AI start-ups and train 5,000 AI professionals by 2030, creating the foundation for a vibrant, homegrown AI ecosystem. Kenya: An emerging leader in AI innovation, Kenya has leveraged its 'Silicon Savannah' status to securely deploy AI across sectors. Platforms like Tala use mobile data for credit scoring, while Jacaranda Health's UlizaLlama, an AI-powered chatbot, provides maternal health support in five local languages. The newly launched National AI Strategy (2025–2030) outlines the government's commitment to positioning Kenya as a regional leader in AI research and development, innovation and commercialization for socioeconomic development. Nigeria: Nigeria ranks second in the number of AI startups in Africa and secured USD 218 million in VC investment in 2023. As one of Africa's most dynamic AI ecosystems, Nigeria is using AI to personalize learning (Rising Academies), deliver microfinance via and strengthen governance with AI tools that monitor public fund allocation. With a $1.4 billion projected AI market size by 2025, the government's proactive approach, combined with growing private-sector innovation, suggests promising growth in AI applications. Morocco: An emerging AI hub in North Africa, Morocco is advancing AI adoption across healthcare, energy, agriculture, and finance. Institutions such as Mohammed VI Polytechnic University and DeepEcho are driving local innovation, while the MoroccoAI Annual Conference is shaping national dialogue on the future of AI. Under its Digital 2030 strategy, Morocco aims to attract USD 1.1 billion in investment and create 240,000 digital jobs by 2030. Despite this progress, the whitepaper warns that data fragmentation, language exclusion and regulatory inconsistency could deepen the digital divide. Harnessing the potential of AI in Africa will be instrumental in accelerating financial inclusion and driving the continent's digital and economic growth. Strategic collaborations between governments, fintechs, and global partners will be key to unlocking AI's full impact. Mastercard's whitepaper draws on insights from leading African technologists, policymakers, academics and entrepreneurs, including interviews with UNESCO, the African Center for Economic Transformation, and fintech leaders across the region. To download the full whitepaper, click Editor's Note 'Harnessing the transformative power of AI in Africa' has been written by White Paper Media Consulting (WPM) in partnership with the Mastercard EEMEA team. The findings and outcomes presented in this paper are based on interviews of various key stakeholders named in the report. These were put into perspective with contextual research by WPM. Markets covered include Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa. Infographic and report design is by WPM. About Mastercard Mastercard powers economies and empowers people in 200+ countries and territories worldwide. Together with our customers, we're building a resilient economy where everyone can prosper. We support a wide range of digital payments choices, making transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. Our technology and innovation, partnerships and networks combine to deliver a unique set of products and services that help people, businesses and governments realize their greatest potential.
TechCrunch
12 minutes ago
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First impressions of Alexa+, Amazon's upgraded, AI-powered digital assistant
I owned a lot of Alexa-powered devices in my former home: There were Amazon Echos in most rooms, including an older Echo Plus in the living room, a smattering of Dots, a Spot in a bedroom, and an Echo Show in the kitchen. A Fire TV ran in the bedroom. And, in a drawer, a rarely used Fire HD tablet sat collecting dust. With the total loss of the home due to a March 2024 house fire, there also came a new opportunity: We could now make a fresh start to create a more modernized smart home after rebuilding our house. But whether Alexa still deserves to be the center of our connected home remains to be seen. To find out whether Alexa is still the best smart assistant for my family, I'm going to test Amazon's AI-powered devices, experiment with AI queries, and write out my thoughts in a multi-part series. With this series, I hope to offer consumers insights as to how well Alexa works in various real-world situations, not company demos. Alexa needed to catch up Image Credits:Amazon Amazon's assistant, which once gave its users Star Trek vibes as they ordered their home computer to close the blinds or turn off the lights or order milk, no longer seemed as revolutionary in the ChatGPT era. Today, people can engage with AI via text and voice chat. Modern AI chatbots and AI-powered services can answer so many more questions, are imaginative, can reason, can create images and art, generate videos, and, with the agentic AI, they can even perform online tasks on your behalf. In February 2025, Amazon announced a complete makeover of its digital voice assistant with the arrival of Alexa+, powered by generative AI. That service began rolling out slowly to customers in March and is now available to 'many millions' of users, Amazon says. The system is also model-agnostic, meaning Alexa+ can use whatever it needs in the moment to answer the question or complete the task. Alexa+ is using models from Anthropic and Amazon Nova, among others. The company teased that this improved Alexa could do more than set timers and alarms, control smart home devices, and answer questions. It leverages generative AI to make sense of information stored in Amazon users' accounts, understand their schedules, and their preferences. It can remember things, process files, and summarize a Ring camera's footage. Image Credits:Amazon Notably, Amazon says it's been working with partners to allow it to take actions for people, like booking dinner reservations or Uber rides, or buying concert tickets. Integrations with Amazon's own grocery service could also have it make shopping lists by speaking to it, and then have those products delivered. Essentially, it's aiming to bring agentic AI into the home. But before we can get to that, let's see how Alexa+ handles the basics. In the first part of this series, I'm going to set up Alexa+, use the app, and ask the assistant some questions that only the new Alexa+ can do. Later, I'll test the agentic AI features and smart home integrations. Setting up Alexa+ on an Echo Spot Device: Echo Spot Default music service: Spotify (Premium) Before moving to my new home, I put Alexa+ to the test on a brand-new Echo Spot after being accepted into the beta. Since I couldn't yet hook up smart home devices in the Airbnb that's served as a temporary residence for over a year, I initially tried to test the device's AI in other ways. Mainly, I wanted to know if Alexa+ was really all that smart and useful, and if she could do all the things Amazon promised. Image Credits:TechCrunch Setting up the Spot was easier than it was with past devices, as now you only needed to scan a QR code to get the process started in the Alexa app. The app connected automatically to the home's Wi-Fi; no more weird toggling between the device's network and your own Wi-Fi. On the next screen, I accepted the invite to upgrade to the new Alexa+ for free, knowing that it's still possible to downgrade to the old Alexa service at any time, if things go wrong. Onboarding included a short video that explained that Alexa would learn more as I use it, and instructed me on how to talk to Alexa. I then connected my Google account, giving Alexa access to my inbox and calendar. I ended up on a blank page after doing so, oddly, but after closing the window, the screen informed me that my 'Account Linked.' (Disclosure: I am running the iOS 26 developer beta on my iPhone, so maybe that's the problem?) Image Credits:Alexa app screenshot On the following screen, I picked the services I wanted to use with Alexa+, which today include OpenTable, Ticketmaster, Uber, and Thumbtack. I checked all the boxes, then moved to the following screen to grant the necessary permissions, one by one. While it's a bit tedious to do so — and something that could be even more tedious in time as more services are added — I did appreciate that it felt like I was in control of the data sharing and could see exactly what each service was requesting before agreeing. Image Credits:Alexa app screenshot The following screen confirmed that Fodor's travel planning service was already integrated with Alexa+, but it didn't require permissions. It also noted that services like Uber Eats, Grubhub, and Vagaro would be added later on. Image Credits:Alexa app screenshot The Alexa app itself is still sorely lacking in user interface design. Despite many updates, the app still feels somehow both plain and too busy. It lacks color and traditional mobile app navigation patterns, and it tries to cram too many examples of 'things to do' on its home screen. Meanwhile, trying to locate how to do the necessary first steps — like linking my preferred music service — is buried in the interface. Nope, you don't tap on your profile icon, Settings, and then scroll down to 'Preferred service providers.' For some reason, that's where you set your preferred News, Calendar, and Email providers, but not your preferred Music service. Image Credits:Alexa app screenshot Instead, you tap on the hamburger menu at the bottom of the screen. You then tap on the 'Music & More' screen. (What's the More? Podcasts? Audiobooks?) Image Credits:Alexa app screenshot I set Spotify as my default music service, the default choice for artists and genre stations, and the default for podcasts. There was no option to set my default audiobooks service. In this section, there was also a list of services I had previously linked with Alexa. Here, Amazon's Audible — which I would prefer to set as the default for audiobooks — was listed alongside other streamers, like Pandora, Amazon Music, Apple Music, and others. But when I tapped on Audible, I simply got an error that says 'You've reached the end of Alexa's knowledge. Just kidding. This skill no longer exists. Click here to go back.' Uh, OK. I mean, would it not make sense to just remove the broken thing that no longer exists? In any event, I'm here to try Alexa+, not yell at a poorly designed mobile app. I'll figure out audiobooks later, I guess. Note for this series: In these tests, I may have shared personal information with Alexa that I will not be publishing. In those cases, I will put a description of the item — like 'child's school' — in [brackets]. I have also slightly changed some of the dates, times, and numbers to further obscure any personal information that could be used to develop an understanding of my accounts, meetings, or household routines. Can Alexa+ manage the family's schedule? Busy households, especially ones with kids, often use a family calendar to track activities, doctor's appointments, errands, meetings, classes, and more. Our family calendar is maintained in Google Calendar, accessed on our phones through the native Google Calendar app, and on Mac desktops via the calendar app Fantastical. Amazon suggests that Alexa+ can help summarize your day, add new events to your calendar, identify conflicts, and more. In practice, Alexa was fairly adept at letting me inquire about the schedule and various events, but it interrupted me when I was asking to add a new meeting to my calendar. I said, 'Can you add a meeting to my calendar on August 6 at 2 p.m. with [entity] about …' Here she cut me off to ask, 'What would you like to title this meeting?' Annoying, but not end-of-the-world terrible, I suppose. I was more easily able to ask things like 'What's on my calendar today?' and follow up to ask further questions — like if there were any meetings later in the week or to repeat one of the appointments. I didn't have to say 'Alexa' again to continue the conversation. It felt more natural, but there's a very slight lag with her responses at times. (As an aside, when I went to find the history of my voice chats for writing this post, I asked Alexa where they could be found. She told me to look in the app's Settings under the More menu, then look for Alexa Privacy or Review Voice History. She's wrong. Neither option was there. I did, however, find my history from the 'Recent Chats' link on the app's home screen. Alexa, c'mon! Know thyself.) Alexa, remember this Another thing Alexa+ is supposed to be able to do is store information on your behalf. To test this out, I asked her to remember my frequent flier number. This interaction went poorly. Me: Alexa, can you remember my Delta SkyMiles number? Alexa: Sure, I'd be happy to remember your Delta SkyMiles number for you. What's the number? Me: *opens mouth to speak* Alexa: I've added that to Remember This in the Alexa privacy section of the app. Also, keep in my that anyone who has access to any of your Alexa devices can use their voice to hear its contents. Um, what? I tried again. Me: Alexa, can you remember my SkyMiles number? Alexa: Certainly! I'd be happy to remember your SkyMiles number for you. What's the number? OK, saved it. She didn't even take a breath! Curious, I asked her what she thinks the number is. She responded, 'I don't have your SkyMiles number saved yet. Would you like to tell me your number now?' Me: Yes. Alexa: OK, go ahead and tell me your Delta SkyMiles number. Me: [says the 8-digit number] Alexa: OK, saved it. Me: What's my SkyMiles number? Alexa: 'Six hundred fifty-two million, four hundred eighty-six thousand…' (Note: I changed the number for the purpose of this post, but yes, Alexa read it out like a long numeral instead of just saying 6-5-2-4-8-6, etc. Not helpful!) Alexa, read my email Alexa+ can now supposedly understand documents you upload in the Alexa app or forward to her at alexa@ using the email address associated with your Amazon account. To try this, I forwarded an email from my child's school. These come frequently and have a lot of useful information in them, but are often lost in the inbox. Perhaps if Alexa can handle this task, a new Gmail forwarding filter is in order? Me: Alexa, summarize the recent email from school. Alexa: The recent email from [my child's school] is a welcome-back letter for the 2025-2026 school year. It announces an 'Early Start Day' orientation on August [date] for new students, with an information session for new parents that evening. Regular classes begin on August [date]. Me: Was there any information specifically for [grade] in that email? Alexa: I don't see any information specifically for [grade] in that email. The letter mainly covers general school information, orientation dates, and important deadlines for all students. Alexa app Screenshot Great, that worked, it seems. But here's where things got a little trickier. Me: Are there any important dates I should add to my calendar? Alexa: *repeats the important dates from above* Me: Can you add those to my calendar for me? Alexa: (Who must have misheard me?) Checking your calendar. Sarah, your calendar is looking busy. You have [activity] ongoing until August 16th, you have [activity]. On Thursday, … Me: (interrupting) I was asking if you could add the dates in the email to my calendar for me? Alexa: Certainly, I'll do that. (Pause) I've added the following dates to your calendar: Course Correction Request Period from August [date] through August [date] New Student Orientation Early Start Day on August [date, time] First Day of School on August [date] Is there anything else you'd like me to add? While this process seems efficient and is certainly helpful in a pinch, you'll notice I left it up to Alexa to determine which dates were 'important.' As a result, she picked the three dates closest to today. The email itself, however, contained a list of 12 important school dates, including things like Meet the Teacher Night, Open House, Midyear Graduation, and more. All of them were formatted the same way in the email under the heading 'Important Dates.' Had I only relied on Alexa and had not read the email itself, I would have missed these. Oh, dear. Alexa, help me save money Another Alexa+ promise is that she can help you track prices on Amazon so you can save money when things go on sale. Alright, I'll bite! I like online shopping. I decided to try tracking a couple of things, including one skin care item and a Coach handbag. These are things I definitely don't need, but want — the kinds of things where a discount could prompt a purchase. screenshot Me: Alexa, I want to know when the Glow Recipe Plum Plumping and Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Skin Care Serum goes on sale. Alexa: Just a second … I've set up a deal tracker for the Glow Recipe Plum Plumping Serum. I'll notify you when it goes on sale. Me: How much is it right now? Alexa: *silence* Me: Did you hear me? Alexa: Checking on that. Yes, I heard you. I've already set up a deal tracker for the Glow Recipe Plum Plumping Serum. You'll get a notification when it goes on sale. Me: How much is it now? Alexa: *More silence.* OK, I guess we'll wait on that one. Next up, I tried the handbag. Me: Alexa, I want to know when the Coach Swinger handbag goes on sale. Alexa: Certainly, I'll check that. Got it! I set up a deal tracker for the Coach Swinger handbag. I'll let you know when it goes on sale. Me: Is it out of stock in blue? Alexa: *Silence* Me: Is the Coach handbag I just asked you about out of stock in blue? (Note: it was, per Amazon's website at the time of the request.) Alexa: Let me check that for you. (Long pause) I found the Coach Swinger handbag, but it's currently available in black. The blue option isn't showing up in the search results, which might mean it's out of stock. Would you like more details about the available options? Me: No. The Coach Swinger handbag in blue does show up on the product page on the web, for what it's worth; it's listed as 'temporarily out of stock.' The bag is also available in both black and red, but Alexa only mentioned the black option for some reason. Not super helpful. And we'll have to wait to see if it ever goes on sale. Off to a slow start With these first introductory tests, Alexa+ seems very much like a beta product. She's trying but is prone to making mistakes and not being thorough. Sometimes, she doesn't even seem to hear me or doesn't know what to do. Given that many of these are out-of-the-box features that don't require integrations, you have to wonder how well Alexa+ will do at navigating the web and taking action for you. In the next installment of this series, I'll continue testing the AI and will try some of the agentic AI features with Alexa+.
