(Credit: Amazon)
Amazon is rolling out a new Alexa+ feature that lets users generate AI podcasts on topics of their choice. The feature is called Alexa Podcasts, and the company describes it as “a new way to learn, stay informed, and consume content that fits into your life.”
On your Echo device or Alexa app, tell Alexa+ about a topic you’d like to hear someone talk about. The AI assistant will then gather relevant information, outline what it plans to cover, and ask for your preferences on the episode’s length and direction. Once you finalize the details, Alexa+ will generate the audio output in minutes, Amazon says.
Google’s NotebookLM can also turn topics into podcasts, but it requires you to upload the source material from your end. Alexa Podcasts, on the other hand, just needs a query as it can pull information from Amazon’s content partners like the Associated Press, Reuters, The Washington Post, Time, Forbes, Business Insider, Politico, USA Today, publications from Condé Nast, Hearst, Vox Media, and 200 other local US newspapers. These partnerships help Alexa+ “deliver accurate, real-time news and information,” Amazon says.
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You can use Alexa+ to create AI podcasts on topics ranging from sports and travel to career planning and hobbies. Based on samples shared by Amazon, it appears the audio episodes will be a discussion between two AI-generated personas.
When the podcast episode is ready, you’ll be notified on your Echo device and in the Alexa app. The episode will also be saved in the app’s Music and More section, so you can tune in whenever you like.
After months of testing, Alexa+, an LLM-powered upgrade to the older Alexa voice assistant, began rolling out to Prime members earlier this year. If you don’t have a Prime subscription, you can get access to Alexa+ for $19.99 per month.