What's Next for AWS: Key 2026 Announcements in Agentic AI and Productivity

At the 2026 What’s Next with AWS event, CEO Matt Garman, SVP of Amazon Applied AI Solutions Colleen Aubrey, CMO Julia White, and OpenAI leaders shared how AI agents are revolutionizing business operations. The event unveiled two major product expansions: Amazon Quick—a new AI assistant for work—and Amazon Connect reborn as a suite of four agentic AI solutions. Below, we break down each announcement in a Q&A format.

What major announcements were made at the What's Next with AWS 2026 event?

The event centered on how AI agents are transforming business workflows. Two flagship announcements stood out: Amazon Quick, a conversational AI assistant that connects to files, calendars, and apps to take action on your behalf; and a revamped Amazon Connect, which now offers four specialized agentic AI tools—Decisions (supply chain), Talent (hiring), Customer (CX), and Health (healthcare). Both products reflect AWS’s push to embed intelligent agents directly into daily operations, reducing manual effort and enabling proactive decision-making.

What is Amazon Quick and what new features were introduced?

Amazon Quick is a new AI assistant designed to unify your work tools, learn your priorities, and act for you. Key features include a desktop app (Preview) that connects to local files, calendar, and communications without needing a browser. You can now generate visual assets like documents, presentations, infographics, and images directly from the chat interface—no design skills required. Quick also expands native integrations to include Google Workspace, Zoom, Airtable, Dropbox, and Microsoft Teams. Additionally, a custom app builder (Preview) lets you create intelligent apps, dashboards, and web pages using natural language, deeply tied to your business data.

How can users access Amazon Quick and what pricing plans are available?

Starting today, anyone can try Amazon Quick with new Free and Plus pricing plans. Sign-up takes minutes using a personal email or existing Google, Apple, GitHub, or Amazon credentials—no AWS account needed. The Free plan offers basic assistant capabilities, while Plus unlocks advanced features like unlimited visual asset generation and priority support. The desktop app (Preview) is available for download now, allowing you to create a personalized, browser-free experience that stays connected to your local environment.

What is Amazon Connect's new agentic AI solutions set?

Amazon Connect has expanded from a single contact-center product into a family of four agentic AI solutions, each tailored to a specific business domain. These solutions embed AI agents into existing workflows to autonomously analyze data, make decisions, and take action. The four solutions are: Connect Decisions for supply chain, Connect Talent for hiring, Connect Customer for personalized customer experience, and Connect Health for healthcare operations. They leverage 30 years of Amazon operational science and specialized tools to shift teams from reactive crisis management to proactive, intelligent planning.

What does Amazon Connect Decisions do for supply chain management?

Amazon Connect Decisions is a supply chain planning and intelligence solution that uses AI agents to transform operations. It combines Amazon’s 30 years of logistics expertise with over 25 specialized supply chain tools. The AI teammates adapt to your business, learn from your team, and continuously improve by analyzing historical data, market trends, and real-time signals. This shifts supply chain teams from constant firefighting to proactive strategic planning and decision-making, reducing disruptions and optimizing inventory, logistics, and production.

How does Amazon Connect Talent revolutionize hiring?

Amazon Connect Talent (Preview) is an agentic AI hiring solution built for large-scale talent acquisition. It delivers AI-led interviews, science-backed assessments, and consistent evaluation to help recruiters identify high-quality candidates faster. The system reduces human biases by standardizing questions and scoring based on job-relevant criteria. Applicants enjoy a flexible interview experience—they can schedule at their convenience and interact with the AI in multiple languages. For organizations managing thousands of hires, this means faster time-to-fill and improved candidate quality.

What are Amazon Connect Customer and Health?

Amazon Connect Customer builds on the original Amazon Connect contact center, now enhanced with conversational AI that can be configured in weeks (not months) without technical expertise. It delivers intelligent, personalized experiences across voice, chat, and digital channels. Amazon Connect Health applies the same agentic AI to healthcare workflows, streamlining patient intake, appointment scheduling, and clinical decision support. Both solutions are designed to integrate seamlessly into existing systems, reducing implementation time and enabling non-technical teams to tailor experiences.