What you need to know
- Amazon launches "Explore with Alexa" available through its Kids Plus subscription, bringing kid-friendly AI chats for fun facts and trivia.
- A new Echo Pop Kids has launched, as well, sporting a Marvel's Avengers or Disney Princesses theme, which changes the sort of jokes or facts kids will learn.
- The Echo Pop Kids lets kids stream music from Spotify, Amazon Music, and others with filters for explicit songs and more parental controls.
Children have curious minds and Amazon is looking to help cultivate those minds by introducing brand new AI software and hardware to help.
The online retailer is introducing "Explore with Alexa," according to a press release. The software is an exclusive add-on to Amazon Kids Plus, offering "kid-friendly" chats with the AI bot. As Alexa leads the conversations, kids will be guided along a journey of learning with fun facts and bouts of trivia.
These AI-led conversations are even more evident now when a child asks Alexa a specific question about an animal like a dog, cat, or even a goldfish. Responses are gathered from verified sources like the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) and A-Z Animals, so parents can feel comfortable with what their little one is absorbing.
Amazon states that "Explore with Alexa" is available on any Echo device in tandem with the Kids Plus monthly subscription. However, you might want to get your child their very own Echo that feels true to them; and that's where the company's latest child-focused hardware reveal comes into play.
Available today, consumers can pick up the new Amazon Echo Pop Kids, a "charming and affordable" smart speaker for the young ones. The post adds that the designs, Marvel's Avengers or Disney Princesses, are more than just visual options. Depending on which you select, the Echo Pop Kids can deliver different greetings, jokes, or fun facts about the characters decorating it.
The smaller Pop speaker offers a range of parental controls who Alexa's responses and a filter for explicit music. Streaming websites include Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and more.
Parents can also set a daily time limit, so their little one isn't using it late into the night, and access to the Amazon Parent Dashboard for viewing activity.
Privacy is an important topic which is why the new Echo Pop Kids features easy-to-use physical buttons on the top for muting the microphone. Additionally, parents have a suite of extra options by asking Alexa and customizing further from their phone.
Moreover, purchasing an Echo Pop Kids will include six months of Amazon Kids Plus for free. The device and the paired subscription are designed to give kids ranging from three to 12 years old a safe environment to learn and grow. The company states the subscription will offer homework help, age-appropriate audiobooks, custom Alexa themes, and the previously mentioned Explore with Alexa.
Amazon's new Echo Pop Kids is available today for purchase, starting at $49.99.
