Amazon’s new Alexa+ brings AI-powered ‘Explore’ and ‘Stories’ features for kids

As part of the reveal of Amazon’s new AI-powered Alexa+ assistant, the tech giant announced that it’s launching two new features designed for kids called “Explore with Alexa” and “Stories with Alexa.” The features, which leverage Alexa’s new AI capabilities, will be available to Amazon Kids+ subscribers.

The company demonstrated the new features at a press event in New York, and noted that they are designed to help kids explore fun topic and encourage imaginative thinking.

The new Explore feature lets kids ask questions like: “Can plants talk to each other,” to which Alexa would respond, “Plants do communicate, but not by talking.” Or, they can ask a question like: “A rose is red and grows in buds. True or false?”

With Stories with Alexa, kids can ask the voice assistant to generate a story based on a prompt. For instance, a kid can ask Alexa+ to “create a story about a bearded dragon that plays a saxophone.”

“Alexa isn’t just asking answering a question or telling a story, she’s unlocking their imaginations,” said Mara Segal, Amazon’s director for Alexa, during the event. “She’s engaging with them in new ways, through natural conversation and rich visuals.”

Amazon Kids+ costs $5.99 per month for Amazon Prime members and $7.99 per month for non-Prime members. The subscription service gives children access to books, videos, games, and apps. It’s available for children ages 3–12.