conversational-ai

Amazon has added conversational food ordering to Alexa+, its next-generation AI assistant, enabling users to order from Uber Eats and Grubhub through natural language. The feature rolls out today to Alexa+ customers with Echo Show 8 devices and larger, allowing users to browse menus, customize meals, and modify orders mid-conversation.

Google has completed a wide rollout of Ask Maps, a Gemini-powered conversational feature in Google Maps, to all users in the US and India as of this week. The feature answers complex, real-world location-based questions that traditional map search cannot handle, such as finding romantic date spots, scenic running routes, and personalized travel recommendations.

Amazon has released a new Bidirectional Streaming API for Amazon Polly that enables simultaneous text input and audio output over a single HTTP/2 connection. The API reduces end-to-end latency by 39% compared to traditional request-response TTS by allowing text to be sent word-by-word as LLMs generate tokens, rather than waiting for complete sentences. The feature is available in Java, JavaScript, .NET, C++, Go, Kotlin, PHP, Ruby, Rust, and Swift SDKs.

Amazon's Alexa+, its conversational AI assistant, begins Early Access in the UK on March 19, rolling out to hundreds of thousands of users. The updated assistant includes British English localization with regional speech patterns, slang understanding, and agentic capabilities. Free for Prime members; £20/month for non-members.

Google has integrated Gemini AI directly into Maps through Ask Maps, a conversational query feature that lets users ask natural language questions like "Where can I charge my phone without a long wait?" The update also includes Immersive Navigation, a photorealistic 3D turn-by-turn experience that renders buildings, traffic lights, and lane markings. The rollout begins now in the US and India on Android and iOS.

Google is deploying a floating pill redesign for Gemini Live on Android devices. The update moves the conversational AI interface away from its previous fullscreen experience to a more compact, always-accessible floating format.