Haleluya Hadero and Wyatte Grantham-Philips, Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) – On Wednesday, Amazon announced the AI-infused Alexa, which allows popular voice assistants to have more personality, check the tone of users and plan romantic dates.
However, unlike before, when Alexa is offered free of charge on an Alexa-enabled device, customers will have to pay Amazon a monthly fee of $19.99 for an improved voice assistant called “Alexa+.” However, Alexa with Generation-AI is free for Prime members who pay monthly or annual fees to the company for free delivery and other perks.
At a media event in New York City, Amazon executives showed off an update to their 10-year-old digital assistant with a new feature aimed at facilitating sales and interaction with Alexa-enabled devices.
The company says Alexa+ allows you to have conversations in a more natural and human flow, and learn more about users, such as dietary preferences and allergies.
“I’m not just an assistant, I’m your new best friend in the digital world,” Alexa+ said at an on-stage demonstration on Wednesday.
At the event, Panos Panay, vice president of Amazon’s Devices & Services, listed other things voice assistants can do now, including creating learning plans, writing babysitter texts, and calling Uber rides for friends. He and other company executives also said that Alexa can get videos from the ring camera – they can check that user’s dog is walking that day and recall sharing handwritten recipes, emails and other documents.
“She’s smarter than ever, but she’s more approachable too,” Panay said.
Alexa is built into products such as Smart Speakers, Amazon’s Fire TVS, Earbuds, and more. Seattle-based Tech Giant launched its popular voice assistant in 2014 along with the first echo device that supports voice commands. Panay said Amazon has sold over 600 million Alexa-enabled devices, and last year saw a 20% increase in user engagement compared to 2023. Estimates for some markets show that Alexa holds the largest market share of any voice assistant.
The improved Alexa uses a large-scale language model, including one developed by Amazon, including ones that include a generator AI startup that the Tech giant has infused billions. Alexa+ has a “model presence system” that allows you to choose the best AI model for the tasks you want to complete, says Daniel Rausch, Amazon’s vice president.
Amazon says Alexa+’s Early Access will be available in the US only in English next month. This starts with users who own or buy the latest Echo Show Devices with an on-screen display for Alexa responses. After opting in, these eligible users will ensure that Alexa+ starts working on compatible devices and web browsers and apps, the company said. Amazon will then deploy “Waves” updates internationally and deploy more devices. Some new features are only built for products with screens.
Although Alexa+ doesn’t reach certain older echo models, Amazon says owners of these devices can still use the original assistant. Additionally, users who prefer to use the original Alexa can follow the company’s FAQ and continue doing it.
The Amazon announcement comes more than a year after the company teased an early version of ALEXA, which was injected with AI at a media event held to show off its new devices. At the time, Amazon said it was working on a “speech to speech” model that allowed Alexa to show human-like attributes such as laughter and phrases like “hmmm” in conversation.
During Wednesday’s demonstration, Amazon highlighted features that previously had a lid on. In one exchange, Panay showed new Alexa the crowd of the room video, testing the feature that allowed him to clearly feel the mood of his surroundings. Panay asked Alexa+ that the room full of journalists was “exciting” when he replied, “I’m paying attention to you and excited.”
Like its predecessor, Alexa+ is effective when users say the voice assistant’s name, but Wednesday executives said they have to say the word only once before users make long-term before and after exchanges. Still, protesters will occasionally say “Alexa” again if it seems like the voice assistant didn’t catch anything.
Amazon competes in the smart speaker market with other tech giants, including Apple and Google.
Although they have successfully sold the device, the company’s other goals (purchasing Amazon purchases with Alexa) have been more difficult to separate. Amazon says Alexa customers are using their devices to shop. However, many people rely primarily on threats, such as playing music, asking questions, and checking the weather.
Improved Alexa subscription fees allow the company to offset costs associated with AI development, making the device operation more profitable.
Original issue: February 26, 2025, 5:27pm EST
