Amazon has rolled out its new voice assistant, Alexa+, to over 100,000 users so far, CEO Andy Jassy revealed during the company’s quarterly earnings call on Thursday, May 1. The rollout, which began in the U.S., will continue to expand to more users in the coming months and later to other countries. Alexa+ is available on an Early Access basis, initially to customers with specific Echo devices who signed up for notifications.
Key Features of Alexa+
The new voice assistant is free for Prime members and available for $19.99 per month to non-members. Jassy highlighted that Alexa+ is “meaningfully smarter and more capable” than its predecessor, capable of answering virtually any question and taking actions without requiring users to say “Alexa” before each request. This allows for more natural, ongoing conversations with the device.
Enhanced User Experience
Jassy shared an example of Alexa+’s capabilities, saying, “You can say, ‘Alexa, please open the shades, put the lights on in the driveway and on the porch, increase the temperature five degrees and pick music that would be great for dinner that’s mellow,’ and it just does it.” This enhanced experience is designed to encourage more frequent use of the voice assistant.
Amazon initially announced plans to infuse AI into Alexa about a year and a half after the release of ChatGPT. The rollout of Alexa+ had been delayed due to issues with the AI hallucinating or providing incorrect information during testing. Despite these challenges, the company is moving forward with the expansion of Alexa+, leveraging its vast ecosystem of over half a billion devices in homes, offices, and cars.
The introduction of Alexa+ aligns with consumer preferences for voice technology, with 54% of consumers preferring voice interactions because they are faster than typing or using a touchscreen, according to a PYMNTS Intelligence report titled “How Consumers Want to Live in the Voice Economy.”
