Amazon finally debuted Alexa+, their eagerly anticipated AI-powered speech assistant, on Wednesday, after over a year of waiting. In the US, the updated assistant will be free for Prime members or accessible for $19.99 per month to non-Prime users in the upcoming weeks.
The new assistant is a total makeover, turning Alexa from a basic command-response tool into a conversational AI bot that can handle complicated tasks on its own. Alexa+ can explore web services, purchase groceries, make restaurant reservations, and manage smart home appliances with little assistance from the user.
“Until this moment – right this moment — we have been limited by the technology,” said Panos Panay, Amazon’s SVP of Devices & Services, during the New York launch event.
Due to major development challenges, Alexa+’s initial September 2023 announcement was postponed until early 2024. According to reports, internal testing found accuracy and functioning issues that necessitated significant changes.
The assistant integrates a number of AI models, such as Anthropic’s and Amazon’s Nova models. Numerous third-party services, like Ticketmaster, Grubhub, Uber Eats, Spotify, and OpenTable, are integrated with it.
Next month, Amazon will start offering early access, giving priority to owners of the Echo Show 8, 10, 15, and 21 devices. The assistant will be available via browser-based access at Alexa.com, a new mobile app, and compatible Echo devices.
With roughly 600 million Alexa devices already in homes, Amazon has an advantage over rival AI offerings like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and Apple’s upcoming Siri improvements. The company hopes that the Alexa+ update will boost its consumer electronics division, which has reportedly struggled to generate significant revenue despite widespread adoption.
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