Amazon Unveils Alexa+, a Generative AI-Powered Voice Assistant with Subscription Model
New Alexa+ offers enhanced conversational capabilities and personalized assistance for $19.99 per month, free for Prime members, launching in March 2024.
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Amazon has lost tens of billions of dollars on its devices business, which includes Echo, Kindle, Fire TV and other products, The Wall Street Journal reported last July.
Amazon unveils revamped Alexa with AI features for $19.99 per month, free for Prime members
CNBC·2M·ReliableThis source consistently reports facts with minimal bias, demonstrating high-quality journalism and accuracy.CenterThis outlet is balanced or reflects centrist views.Though it has had success in selling devices, the company’s other goal — driving Amazon purchases through Alexa — has been more challenging to pull off.
Amazon's new AI-powered Alexa promises to be your 'best friend in a digital world' for a monthly fee
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Amazon has been working for several years to modernize Alexa, though the effort has been bumpy as the company looks to maximize compatibility with the past.
Amazon debuts Alexa+, its next-generation AI assistant
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However experts have suggested consumers may struggle to get past their limited expectations of Amazon devices.
Alexa relaunched with ambition to be 'your best digital friend'
BBC News·2M·ReliableThis source consistently reports facts with minimal bias, demonstrating high-quality journalism and accuracy.CenterThis outlet is balanced or reflects centrist views.Adding features that customers want to use, AI or otherwise, matters right now for Amazon's voice assistant business, especially as Apple works on improving its AI capabilities in tandem with its Siri voice assistant.
Amazon's Alexa+, its new voice assistant, is $19.99 a month — or free if you're a Prime member
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Still, the lack of solid improvements and overhauls to Alexa over the years meant an erosion in consumer usage of the service, especially in the age of AI.
Amazon finally unveils new Alexa with AI overhaul: ‘Knows almost every instrument in your life’
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Summary
Amazon has relaunched its Alexa assistant with generative AI capabilities, dubbed Alexa+. Unlike its predecessor, it requires a $19.99 monthly fee for access, though Prime members can use it for free. Alexa+ features include enhanced conversational abilities, personalization through user interaction, and support for various tasks such as ordering groceries and scheduling appointments. The rollout is set for early 2024 across numerous Alexa-enabled devices, with the potential to reshape how users interact with smart assistants in an increasingly competitive AI market.
Perspectives
Amazon has launched Alexa+, a revamped version of its voice assistant, incorporating generative AI to enhance user interactions and capabilities.
The new Alexa+ will come with a subscription fee of $19.99 per month (free for Prime members), aimed at offsetting development costs and making the Alexa business more profitable.
The upgrade marks Amazon's effort to remain competitive in the rapidly evolving voice assistant market, addressing previously unmet user expectations with improved conversational abilities and personalized responses.