Amazon Fire TV is about to get a great free search upgrade powered by AI

New Amazon Fire TV Search Experience
(Image credit: Amazon)

At Amazon’s Sept. 2023 devices event, myriad devices and updates to everything from Kindles to Alexa were announced, and plenty of Fire TV news in between. Maybe most important, though, was an upgrade that folks with a Fire TV Stick or Cube would benefit from – vastly improved search with Alexa. 

Well, that feature is finally seeing the light of day as Amazon is starting to roll out the improved search experience to eligible Fire TV devices. This means you’ll be able to ask Alexa what movie has a specific line you remember or even something broader, like a funny comedy set in NYC that’s for the whole family. 

Like the promise of Project Astra or OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4o, Amazon wants Alexa to be as human as possible… at least in terms of entertainment recommendations. 

An entertainment LLM for Alexa

New Amazon Fire TV Search Experience

(Image credit: Amazon)

If you’re in the United States in English with a Fire TV device – stick, cube, or even TV – with FireOS 6 later, Amazon’s started the rollout of the new search experience. This means that you may see the new experience and can ask for content more naturally from today on – the rollout officially began on May 30, 2024.

Using the new search experience is as simple as talking with Alexa; Amazon notes that you can search by topic, genre, plot, or quote. For example, you could ask what movie the line “I have a bad feeling about this” appears in or, as Amazon shared, “life is like a box of chocolates.” The options are endless, and using Alexa on a Fire TV should be much more useful.

When you’re with a friend or family member and deciding what to watch, you can ask for a specific type of film by topic, genre, or plot. Asking for a “mystery movie set in the old west” or “an action flick that involves time travel” will yield personalized results, mainly from the services you’re signed into. Showing results that you can stream at no additional charge and that better fit with the original prompt could solve a real headache for some folks.

Amazon notes that searching on Fire TV is powered by an in-house developed large language model (LLM). This means that it pulls from a database and cross-references it with your taste – or at least what the Fire TV knows from a user profile – and the streaming services you’re signed into. That includes Amazon Prime Video and third-party libraries, among other services.

It’s a nice, free update that’s been a long time coming and will hopefully make it easier to find content to watch, be it movies or TV shows, on Fire TV streamers. Who knows, Google may try to match this with a Gemini-infused Google TV, or with rumored upgrades to Siri, Apple may try to up the Apple TV experience.

You Might Also Like

TOPICS
Jacob Krol
US Managing Editor News

Jacob Krol is the US Managing Editor, News for TechRadar. He’s been writing about technology since he was 14 when he started his own tech blog. Since then Jacob has worked for a plethora of publications including CNN Underscored, TheStreet, Parade, Men’s Journal, Mashable, CNET, and CNBC among others.

He specializes in covering companies like Apple, Samsung, and Google and going hands-on with mobile devices, smart home gadgets, TVs, and wearables. In his spare time, you can find Jacob listening to Bruce Springsteen, building a Lego set, or binge-watching the latest from Disney, Marvel, or Star Wars.

Read more
Alexa on a Fire TV in 2025
Amazon's upgraded Alexa+ will enable Fire TV devices to skip to a particular scene in a movie just by describing it
Alexa AI
Amazon's upcoming Alexa AI brain transplant might make you use it for more than just weather and timers
Amazon AI topics
Prime Video is testing a great new feature that'll use AI to better recommend movies and shows
Panos Panay at Amazon Alexa event
Amazon’s new AI-powered Alexa+ is a lot more fun to talk to than ChatGPT or Siri, and I like it
Amazon.in Freedom Sale
Amazon's big Alexa event is nearly here - here are 4 things to expect, including Alexa's AI upgrade and a new Echo speaker
Amazon Devices Event September 20 2023
Here's everything Amazon promised back when it teased the future conversational Alexa AI
Latest in Entertainment
Glasgow Rangers' Nigerian forward Cyriel Dessers runs with the ball during a UEFA Europa League round of 16 first-leg football match in March 2025
Rangers vs Fenerbahce live stream: How to watch UEFA Europa League online
Tottenham Hotspur player Lucas Bergvall participates in the match at the AFAS Stadium for the UEFA Europa League
Tottenham vs AZ live stream: How to watch the Europa League online from anywhere
A close up of Captain America with Thor and Hulk in the background during the Assemble scene in Avengers: Endgame
'We will draw inspiration': Joe and Anthony Russo reveal which of Marvel's Secret Wars comic book series have influenced Avengers 5 and 6's plot
Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United celebrates after scoring their side's first goal during a Premier League match in March 2025
Man Utd vs Real Sociedad live stream: How to watch the Europa League game online
Indy the Dog sitting in front of the TV
South by Southwest has given me 4 new horror movies to look forward to, including one from a dog's perspective
Paul Rudd on the ground looking up at a unicorn, whose legs are visible
I've added 5 new movies and TV shows to my watchlist after they premiered at South by Southwest 2025
Latest in News
GTA 5
GTA Online publisher Take-Two is gunning for a black market that’s basically heaven for cheaters
The Discovery+ homepage
Discovery+ just got a big update to its streaming app that makes it more like Max – here are 5 great new features to try
Two Android phones on a green and blue background showing Google Messages
Struggling with slow Google Messages photo transfers? Google says new update will make 'noticeable difference'
Google Meet create custom backgrounds
More AI features are coming to Google Workspace
Elayne, Egwene, and Nynaeve dressed regally and on horseback in The Wheel of Time season 3
'There's a reason why we do it': The Wheel of Time showrunner responds to fans who are still upset over the Prime Video show's plot alterations
A mockup of the possible Apple M3 Ultra logo
Performance isn't the only reason you should buy Apple's M3 Ultra Mac Studio - it's reportedly one of the most power-efficient processors too