Amazon has unveiled the Alexa+, a relaunch of the virtual assistant that seeks to take advantage of the rapid progression of AI in recent times.
Amazon has unveiled the Alexa+.
The tech giant is looking to exploit the recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) that have led to a huge growth in software that is capable of natural-sounding conversations – with apps such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek.
Alexa+ is an overhauled version of its virtual assistant and it told a launch event in New York that it wished to be “your new best friend in the digital world”.
It will be included for free in Prime subscriptions when it launches next month – but to non-members it will cost $19.99 per month.
Amazon’s head of devices and services Panos Panay said that Alexa+ would remember information – meaning that it would recommend appropriate recipes if you told it that you were a gluten-intolerant vegan, for example.
He also promised that there will be “no more Alexa speak”, enabling users to talk to it more conversationally than previously possible.
However, experts have suggested that consumers may not be able to see past their limited expectations of Amazon devices.
Ed Freed, from the marketing agency Rapp UK, told BBC News: “Smart speakers are found in one in four UK homes, yet many users treat them as nothing more than expensive kitchen timers.
“Ultimately, the most logical place for a truly personal AI assistant is on your phone, not on your countertop.”
Dr. Richard Whittle, of the University of Salford’s Business School, explained that the new features were “long overdue”.
He said: “Amazon is hoping its upgraded Alexa will challenge Copilot, Google Assistant and Siri, all of whom use new LLM (large language model) technology.
“When users can now chat naturally to their AI assistants, Alexa’s once leading voice interaction seems narrow and rigid.”
Amazon unveils Alexa+ in relaunch of virtual assistant
