Ring doorbell now uses Alexa+ Greetings AI to talk to visitors and direct delivery drivers

Amazon Introduces Alexa-Powered Ring Doorbell With Personalized Visitor Greetings

Julian is a contributor and former staff writer at CNET. He's covered a range of topics, such as tech, crypto travel, sports and commerce. His past work has appeared at print and online publications, including New Mexico Magazine, TV Guide, Mental Floss and NextAdvisor with TIME. On his days off, you can find him at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque watching the ballgame. Amazon has released a new Alexa Plus feature that lets your Ring doorbell greet and chat with visitors at your front door. The feature, called Greetings, is rolling out today for Alexa Plus Early Access customers in the US and Canada. Greetings works by combining two previously released features: Ring Video Descriptions, which uses artificial intelligence to describe what the Ring camera sees, and Alexa Plus, a beefed-up version of Alexa built on top of a large language model. Don't miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source. Don't miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source. "Ring's camera determines who's there based on what they're wearing, holding, or their actions," an Amazon spokesperson said in an announcement. "Alexa uses this visual context, any information the visitor shares, and the instructions it's been given." You can customize what Greetings says, so that the doorbell can manage interactions on your behalf. Using the Ring Video Descriptions, the camera can detect what a visitor is wearing, such as a delivery uniform, and steer the conversation accordingly. One of the examples Amazon provided is to ask delivery drivers to leave packages out of sight or by the back door, instead of leaving them on the front porch. Another example the company provided was to politely let solicitors know that you're not interested. Or, if a friend stops by while you're busy, your doorbell can let them know you're unavailable and ask if they'd like to leave a message. Greetings is also set up for follow-up questions, such as when you'll be available to talk or if the delivery driver will need an access code to enter the backyard. The announcement also mentions that Greetings can manage interactions with home visitors without revealing whether you're home or not. Greetings doorbell interactions are separate from other smart home controls. The new feature is available for Ring Wired Doorbell Pro (3rd Gen) and Ring Wired Doorbell Plus (2nd Gen) with Ring Premium Plan and Video Descriptions enabled. You'll need to purchase a Ring subscription before you can set up your doorbell to communicate with visitors at your front door.

Alexa+ can now answer your Ring doorbell and talk to people

Amazon just introduced a . 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.

Your Ring doorbell can talk to visitors for you

Amazon is bringing conversational AI to Ring doorbells with the launch of a new feature called Alexa+ Greetings. This new tool is designed to handle visitors and deliveries using natural conversation when you cannot get to the door yourself. It's rolling out now to Early Access users in the US and Canada, letting Alexa take over door duty for you. This feature is far more sophisticated than the old pre-recorded responses we are used to hearing from doorbells. Alexa+ Greetings uses generative AI capabilities linked to your Ring and Alexa accounts. It identifies who is at the door using Ring AI Video Descriptions, which analyze the event that triggered the camera. The system looks at their clothing, what they are doing, and what the person is holding to figure out if it is a delivery driver, a solicitor, or a friend. Once the visitor is identified, Alexa engages in context-aware conversations based on the instructions you set beforehand. You can create customized instructions by speaking to Alexa on an Echo device or through the Alexa app. For example, you can tell the system, "Alexa, if I get a delivery, tell the delivery person to leave it by the side door." The system can even handle follow-up questions, like whether a signature is required, or relay messages about snacks or water you might have left out for the driver. The system is not just for deliveries, though. It also handles general visitors and salespeople. If a visitor presses the doorbell, Alexa+ Greetings asks for more details to find out if the visit actually needs your attention. You can set instructions like, "If someone comes to the door trying to sell something, politely let them know we're not interested." If friends or family come by while you are busy, Alexa can greet them and ask them to leave a message for you instead. To get started with Alexa+ Greetings, you have to meet a few requirements. You need either the Ring Video Doorbell Pro (3rd Gen) or the Ring Video Doorbell Plus (2nd Gen). You also need to have an active Ring Home Premium Plan or be in a trial period for that plan. This means you are paying a monthly fee just to access this conversational AI tool. Also, you must have the Ring and Alexa skills linked, and both Alexa+ and AI Video Descriptions need to be enabled in the respective apps. The reliance on AI here makes me feel like issues may arise. This system is designed to identify people based on clothing and actions, and I would say the biggest problem is the risk of misidentifying someone. If your friend comes to see you after work while still wearing their logistics uniform, the system might mistake them for a delivery person and ask them to leave a package somewhere instead of letting them leave a message. We also need to remember the privacy cost associated with features like this. Ring previously launched a facial recognition feature called Familiar Faces. While Amazon says Alexa+ Greetings uses video descriptions and does not identify who the person is, it does record and store these conversational interactions. If you have the Ring Home Premium Plan, your notifications will indicate if Alexa spoke to a visitor, and you can review the full video from the Event History. Giving Amazon more data about who visits your home and what is said at your front door is a definite privacy trade-off for convenience. Source: Ring via TechRadar

Ring video doorbells can now use Alexa+ to tell solicitors to scram

The best video doorbells are great for being able to screen your visitors; if someone rings the bell, you can see who's there without having to open your door. However, there's still the matter of interacting with them. But what if you don't want to deal with the hassle of a persistent solicitor? Ring is introducing a new feature to some of its video doorbells called Alexa+ Greetings, which will use Amazon's AI to talk to the person who's at your door and give them appropriate instructions based on the conversation. It's a step beyond the current Smart Responses, which gives a one-time reply, to an ongoing dialogue. If someone comes up to your door offering to sell timeshares or solar panels or whatever, Alexa+ can talk to them to give them a polite but firm "no thanks." If however, the visitor is dropping off a package, you can have Alexa+ give them more detailed instructions on where to place the delivery or ask if you need to sign for the package. And, if a friend or family member drops by and you're not home, Alexa+ can chat with them and ask if they'd like to leave a message, which will then be delivered to you. According to Ring, Alexa+'s interactions with visitors will vary based on a bunch of factors, such as the person's responses, if they're wearing a delivery person's uniform, carrying a package, and more. Within the Ring app, homeowners will be able to personalize their greetings and Alexa+'s responses within the AI Features tab. From there, you can use any Alexa+-enabled smart speaker or display to further customize its actions. For example, you could tell Alexa+ that if any deliveries come over the weekend to tell the delivery person to drop the packages off at your side door. Alexa+ Greetings is currently rolling out to Early Access customers, and it won't work with just any of the best Ring doorbells -- you'll also need a Ring Wired Doorbell Pro (3 Gen) or Ring Wired Doorbell Plus (2 Gen), as well as a Ring Premium Plan, which costs $19/month. While your family members may be miffed that you're using AI to talk to them, I can see how Alexa+ Greetings could make things easier -- for you, at least -- when it comes to dealing with everyone else who comes to your door.

Your Ring doorbell can now use Alexa+ to identify who's calling and give them an appropriate greeting

It's rolling out now to Alexa+ Early Access users in the US and Canada Ring is launching a new AI assistant for those occasions when you can't get to the door yourself, but a pre-recorded message won't quite cut it. Alexa+ Greetings is rolling out today, and will give different responses depending on who's calling, and which instructions you've given in advance. For example, if you tell Alexa+ Greetings that you want packages left out of sight behind your shed, it will relay this message when it identifies a delivery person, and even handle follow-up questions (if the package requires a signature, for example, and will have to be returned to the depot). It can also politely (or not so politely, if you're so inclined) turn down cold callers and salespeople, or give a friendly greeting if it recognizes a friend or family member. Alexa+ Greetings uses Ring Video Descriptions - a feature launched earlier this year that uses AI to analyze the event that's triggered your video doorbell or security camera, and generates a short text notification so you don't need to watch a video clip to understand what's going on at home. If it's something you were expecting, like the mailman or your kids arriving home from school, you can dismiss it without any further action. Still getting too many alerts? Last month, Ring started using the same tech to group together notifications about similar events. This tool, called Single Event Alerts, ensures that your phone isn't bombarded by messages if a gardener is mowing your lawn, for example, or your kids are playing outside. This isn't the first time we've seen generative AI in a video doorbell. Earlier this year, home security company Swann released the SwannBuddy4K doorbell, which includes a free AI voice assistant called SwannShield to communicate with callers. During testing we thought the doorbell itself was excellent, particularly because all of its key features are available without a subscription. However, the assistant was still in beta when we reviewed it, and felt a bit like a gimmick rather than a genuinely useful feature. Take a look at our full SwannBuddy4K review for more details, and to see how it performed in the real world. Hopefully Alexa+ Greetings will feel like a more polished product when it starts rolling out to Alexa+ Early Access users today in the US and Canada. It will be available for the third-gen Ring Wired Doorbell Pro and second-gen Ring Wired Doorbell Plus with a Ring Premium Plan and Ring Video Descriptions enabled.

Alexa+ can now answer your door and chat with visitors

Amazon has launched Alexa+ Greetings, a feature enabling Alexa+ to answer Ring video doorbells and engage in conversations with visitors in the US and Canada using English. The feature operates exclusively on certain newer Ring video doorbell models. Users require a Ring Premium Plan subscription and access to the Alexa+ early-access build. Amazon describes the capability as one that transforms the Ring doorbell into an intelligent assistant capable of determining who is at the door, understanding what they need, and responding conversationally. This functionality remains available whether the homeowner is present at home or away. The underlying mechanism involves an AI algorithm that determines who is present based on what they are wearing, holding, or their actions. The system incorporates visual context, any information shared by the visitor, and the instructions provided to manage interactions on behalf of the homeowner. For example, Amazon states that the assistant can identify a person wearing a delivery uniform and instruct them to leave the package at the back door. Amazon provides additional examples of practical applications. The assistant can collect messages from friends who visit when the homeowner is absent. It can politely direct door-to-door salespeople to leave. Visitors may receive directions to water and snacks that have been pre-arranged. During Halloween, the system handles interactions with children while dispensing treats from a designated setup. All doorbell interactions undergo recording for later review through the Ring app. The app delivers context regarding individuals who have approached the porch, allowing homeowners to examine conversations and circumstances post-event. The rollout of Alexa+ Greetings commenced today. Alexa+ represents Amazon's updated chatbot, designed to support more conversational exchanges compared to the previous Alexa version. This enhancement aims to facilitate natural dialogue in various scenarios, including remote management of home entry points. Eligibility confines the feature to specified hardware and subscription tiers, ensuring compatibility with recent Ring models equipped for advanced video processing and AI integration. The early-access build of Alexa+ grants participants preview functionality ahead of wider release. Geographic restriction to the US and Canada aligns with initial deployment phases, with language support limited to English for precise voice recognition and response generation. Identification relies on multifaceted inputs: apparel such as uniforms signals delivery personnel; items held, like packages, reinforce categorization; actions, including approaching the door or speaking, contribute to context. Preset instructions from users customize responses, such as specific directions for package placement or visitor handling protocols. Review capabilities in the Ring app include timestamps, video footage, audio transcripts, and AI-generated summaries of visitor intent. This transparency supports verification of instructions followed and identification accuracy. Alexa+ builds upon foundational voice assistant technology by incorporating generative AI for fluid, context-aware replies, distinguishing it from the command-response structure of earlier Alexa iterations.