Amazon just introduced a new feature for Alexa+ called Greetings. This lets Alexa+ answer the doorbell and converse with visitors, which certainly sounds futuristic in a “gated community as dystopia” kind of way.
There are several caveats here. First of all, it only works with certain newer Ring video doorbell models. Customers also have to pony up for a Ring Premium Plan and have access to the Alexa+ early access build. It’s available in the US and Canada and only in English.
If you meet those criteria, this could be a fairly useful little feature. Amazon says it “transforms your Ring doorbell into an intelligent assistant capable of determining who’s at your door, understanding what they need and responding conversationally.” The company promises that the tool operates whether people or home or out doing errands.
How does this work? It’s an AI algorithm that “determines who’s there based on what they’re wearing, holding or their actions.” It will use “visual context, any information the visitor shares and the instructions it’s been given to help manage interactions on your behalf.”
Amazon says that it can, for instance, distinguish if a person is wearing a delivery uniform and tell them to leave the package at the back door. Most of my delivery drivers don’t come to the door in full uniforms because it’s winter and that would be ridiculous. I don’t even expect that during the summer. In other words, this is modern AI and mistakes will happen.
The company gives other examples of how this could be used, like gathering messages from friends who stop by and telling door-to-door salespeople to (politely) bug off. Amazon also says Alexa+ will be able to direct visitors to water and snacks that have previously been laid out. Finally, there’s a way to avoid those pesky cute kids on Halloween while still providing them with treats.
Everything can be reviewed later on via the Ring app, which should provide context as to who has been hanging around the porch. Alexa+ Greetings are rolling out today.
For the uninitiated, Alexa+ is Amazon’s updated chatbot. It’s more conversational than the old Alexa, which could be useful or annoying depending on what you use it for. I use Alexa primarily as an alarm, so I don’t necessarily want a gabfest.
