Amazon betting big on subscription-based Alexa+ assistant

Summary

Amazon has revealed Alexa+, a more conversational and resourceful Alexa voice assistant, enhanced by AI.
Alexa+ by itself costs $20 a month, or comes included with an Amazon Prime subscription, making Prime the better deal since it costs $15 a month.
Alexa+ integrates with a wide range of services and smart home devices, offering users access to a variety of features and capabilities.

During a recent event in New York City, Amazon introduced Alexa+, its next-generation AI upgrade for Alexa, designed to handle more tasks and make conversations with the digital assistant much more natural.

With Alexa+, users can search for movies and TV shows, make reservations, shop online, monitor home security, and more. Additionally, Alexa+ can retain personal information to provide tailored suggestions based on the user’s interests.

The subscription for Alexa+ is priced at $20 per month, but it comes free with an Amazon Prime membership. Since Amazon Prime costs $15 monthly or $139 annually, obtaining Alexa+ through Prime is the better option.

Amazon Prime

An Amazon Prime subscription gives users access to fast, free shipping, Prime Video, Amazon Music and more.

Price: $14.99 a month
Free trial: Yes

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Alexa+ is coming to the US in the next few weeks

The AI voice assistant will be available on “almost every” Alexa device, and a mobile app and website is coming

Amazon

Amazon says Alexa+ will be available on “almost every” Alexa device released so far. It will be available in the US first during an early access period that prioritizes the Echo Show 8, 10, 15, and 21. Amazon is also launching a new Alexa+ app, which will be available in the App Store and Google Play Store, and a new browser experience on Alexa.com. This means users can interact with Alexa+ on their Echo device and continue the conversation on their smartphone outside the house.

To put it simply, Alexa+ is essentially Amazon’s version of Google Gemini. Like Gemini, Alexa+ is built using “state-of-the-art” large language models (LLMs), which provide the AI assistant with access to a vast array of information and the ability to perform agentic capabilities. For instance, you can ask Alexa+ to make an Uber or Grubhub order for you or to purchase tickets for a concert on Ticketmaster. Amazon states it has been integrated with “tens of thousands of services,” including Spotify, TripAdvisor, Apple Music, Disney+, and more.

Alexa+ can also integrate with smart home devices from companies like Philips Hue, Roborock, Lutron, and more. During the demo presentation, Amazon showcased Alexa+ checking smart cameras to see if anyone had taken the dog out. You can also share documents with Alexa+ that you can ask it to reference later, such as an instruction manual or a recipe. If you’re a Prime Member, Alexa+ comes at no additional cost, making it worth checking out to see what it’s all about. Alexa+ will begin rolling out in the US over the next few weeks.