Amazon expands Alexa Plus ecosystem with AI toolkit and Model Context Protocol
The tech giant is leveraging the open-source Model Context Protocol to allow Alexa Plus to connect with a wider array of devices and financial services, aiming to reduce reliance on a limited set of existing partners.
Amazon is launching a significant update to its Alexa Plus AI assistant, designed to facilitate connections with a broader spectrum of smart home devices and third-party services. The upgrade, powered by a new AI developer toolkit and the Model Context Protocol (MCP), allows the system to process complex, multi-step instructions that were previously unsupported.
The update enables Alexa Plus to automatically route requests to specific hardware, including devices from Bosch, Delta, Ecovacs, iRobot, Yale Home, Whirlpool, Tapo, and Eufy. Amazon demonstrated the capability with an example where a user can request a specific washing machine cycle based on fabric care instructions, with the assistant navigating the device’s settings to apply the correct temperature and mode.
This expansion marks a strategic shift from the assistant’s current limitations. Since its widespread launch in February, Alexa Plus has been restricted to a narrow list of third-party services, including Ticketmaster, OpenTable, Uber, Thumbtack, Expedia, Yelp, Square, and Angi. The adoption of MCP, an open-source standard for connecting AI models to external tools, is intended to lower the barrier for device makers to integrate with the platform.
Later this year, Amazon plans to extend these capabilities to consumer services, with integrations set to launch for Canva, Headspace, Priceline, Lyft, Cengage, Virgin Atlantic, and Weekend. Under the new arrangement, Priceline users will be able to browse hotel options and book trips directly through the voice assistant.
Financial transactions are also being expanded through Amazon Wallet. Priceline, alongside Atom Tickets, Cengage, Fandango, and Taskrabbit, will soon support payments via the digital wallet. This move positions Amazon to compete more aggressively with rivals such as Anthropic, which recently enhanced its Claude voice mode with similar tool-use capabilities and model selection features.
