What you need to know
- Amazon announces Alexa Plus can now take orders for users after they’ve linked their Grubhub or Uber Eats accounts.
- Users can order from specific restaurants they know or they can ask the AI for options based on the type of food they want and pick from there.
- Orders and fully customizable and “conversational,” as users have a wide expanse to order their food from.
- Amazon says this is rolling out for Alexa Plus customers on Echo Show 8 and larger devices.
Ever get hungry late at night, but want someone or something to take your order? That’s possible now with Amazon’s AI.
In a press release, Amazon states users with Alexa Plus can start placing orders with the AI for Grubhub and Uber Eats deliveries. This feature is rolling out today (Mar 31) for users on their Echo Show 8 “and larger devices.” A formal announcement post goes into detail, stating users can get to ordering after linking their Grubhub or Uber Eats account via the Alexa app. Users can open the app > More > Alexa+ Store > Food & Reservations. After, you can get started—rather immediately, Amazon adds.
If you’re sure of the restaurant you want, users can tell Alexa, “Let’s order from (name).” For the curious cats, you can tell Alexa what kind of food you want, and the AI is said to produce a list of options that should fit the bill. Amazon says ordering with Alexa is built on a “conversational” foundation. Basically, users can speak their order to Alexa as they’d normally do to a friend or to a drive-thru window.
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Amazon says that users can even bounce between information. The post’s example suggests users can go from their order back to a restaurant’s menu to see the desserts if they say, “Show me desserts.” When it’s all said and done, users can review their order before placing, and Alexa will keep you up-to-date with consistent status updates. Alternatively, users can say, “Alexa, where’s my food?”
AI that’s worth using
The press release says your ability to order food with Alexa Plus is a part of its ability to “dynamically adapt” its style based on the task given. Amazon says ordering food isn’t the same as asking a mundane question, so Alexa needs to be flexible. Users have a bit of range with ordering food, as they can ask for what’s popular, customize their food order if there’s something they don’t want, and ask for kid options.
Amazon also teased that it might bring Alexa’s newfound capabilities from this update to other areas, like “grocery shopping, travel planning,” and more.
In case you’re wondering, Alexa Plus is available for customers at $19.99 per month. If you’re subscribed to Amazon Prime, you will have Alexa Plus already. The AI was also a co-star to Amazon’s huge wave of new Echo devices late last year. For relevance, the Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11 launched in October with improved displays over previous generations to offer more info. Amazon also launched its first Echo Dot Matrix and an upgraded Echo Studio.
Android Central’s Take
You know, this is a dangerous feature. It’s cool; don’t get me wrong, but now Amazon’s given me a way to order food while laying down. This is serious, now. Jokes aside, I think the feature is cool. It’s on the useful side of where Amazon’s AI shines. Whether it’s a little more personal for users, informative, or capable of placing orders for them, it’s a hands-free win for subscribers. I am looking forward to whether or not Amazon extends Alexa’s capabilities to more areas. We’ve got food ordering, so is ordering groceries next? Uber Eats is already there.
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