Amazon says Alexa+ will let people order food by voice with Uber Eats

In short: Amazon says its new Alexa+ version will let you order food in a more natural back and forth conversation, including with services like Uber Eats.

What happened

Amazon is promoting new food ordering features in Alexa+, its updated Alexa assistant that uses generative AI (a type of AI that can produce sentences like a person). The company says you will be able to build an order by talking, more like ordering from a person, and change things mid-conversation, like adding fries or a drink.

This idea is not completely new for Alexa. Amazon previously added more conversational ordering for specific partners. For example, Panera Bread users could place pickup or delivery orders on Echo Show devices and make changes by voice, like adding avocado and bacon, asking menu questions, and tracking delivery.

However, earlier public integrations were more limited for some delivery apps. Uber Eats support announced in 2023 focused on order tracking on Echo devices, like getting voice updates when food is out for delivery or a driver arrives. And despite claims that mention Grubhub and Uber Eats ordering, there has not been clear public confirmation of a full Grubhub ordering integration that works the way the new Alexa+ demos describe.

Why it matters

If this works as described, ordering could feel less like navigating a phone menu and more like talking to someone who understands what you mean (like updating your order while you are still speaking). The key detail for customers is availability, since Alexa’s best voice ordering has so far depended on specific partners and devices.

Source: The Verge AI