Alexa Plus – paid model with AI support

In September 2023, Amazon’s then hardware and Alexa boss Dave Limp announced for the first time that he wanted to expand the possibilities of the in-house voice assistant with artificial intelligence. In keeping with this, Limp also demonstrated how Alexa can use the technology to develop her own opinion on sports teams and skillfully continue conversations even after interruptions.

But as impressive as the demonstration was, it revealed a detail that was less pleasant for users: Alexa’s AI functions will only be available via a paid subscription in the foreseeable future. Since there was no further information from Amazon, the topic quickly became quiet. Now things are moving again. This is indicated by a report from the Bloomberg news agency, which reveals details about Amazon’s plans.

Alexa Plus – paid model with AI support

In September 2023, Amazon’s then hardware and Alexa boss Dave Limp announced for the first time that he wanted to expand the possibilities of the in-house voice assistant with artificial intelligence. In keeping with this, Limp also demonstrated how Alexa can use the technology to develop her own opinion on sports teams and skillfully continue conversations even after interruptions.

But as impressive as the demonstration was, it revealed a detail that was less pleasant for users: Alexa’s AI functions will only be available via a paid subscription in the foreseeable future. Since there was no further information from Amazon, the topic quickly became quiet. Now things are moving again. This is indicated by a report from the Bloomberg news agency, which reveals details about Amazon’s plans.

Amazon is working on Alexa Plus

Alexa Plus will not be part of the Prime subscription

Amazon’s voice assistant will be available in two versions in the future: The classic Alexa will be joined by the new “Alexa Plus”, which is based on artificial intelligence. The fact that Amazon decided to go this route is said to be primarily due to the team responsible for developing the current version of Alexa. Namely, it insists that Amazon build on their work rather than aiming for a general shift to new technology. This is probably due to the fact that, according to the report, there are still problems with the quality of the answers, as public test runs with over 15,000 customers show.

The result: Those responsible are said to have asked the team responsible for Alexa Plus to comprehensively revise the AI language assistance. According to the information available, Amazon does not want to offer its new Alexa Plus as part of the Prime subscription, but instead asks you to pay in addition to it. How much users will have to put on the table is currently uncertain. The only thing that is certain is the launch date: As Bloomberg has learned, the new voice assistant should be on the market by June 30, 2024 at the latest.

Whether and to what extent this model will prevail is still up in the air. It wasn’t until February 2024 that Amazon started with advertising breaks on the Prime Video service – which was actually always ad-free. If you want to continue streaming ad-free, you can do so for EUR 2.99 per month. The golden days when digital services were available at bargain prices and you “only” paid with your data seem to be slowly but surely coming to an end. Because now real money should be made with more and more subscriptions.

But all of these “small” subscriptions add up quite a bit over time and can become a real cost trap if you lose track.

Alexa Plus will not be part of the Prime subscription

Amazon’s voice assistant will be available in two versions in the future: The classic Alexa will be joined by the new “Alexa Plus”, which is based on artificial intelligence. The fact that Amazon decided to go this route is said to be primarily due to the team responsible for developing the current version of Alexa. Namely, it insists that Amazon build on their work rather than aiming for a general shift to new technology. This is probably due to the fact that, according to the report, there are still problems with the quality of the answers, as public test runs with over 15,000 customers show.

The result: Those responsible are said to have asked the team responsible for Alexa Plus to comprehensively revise the AI language assistance. According to the information available, Amazon does not want to offer its new Alexa Plus as part of the Prime subscription, but instead asks you to pay in addition to it. How much users will have to put on the table is currently uncertain. The only thing that is certain is the launch date: As Bloomberg has learned, the new voice assistant should be on the market by June 30, 2024 at the latest.

Whether and to what extent this model will prevail is still up in the air. It wasn’t until February 2024 that Amazon started with advertising breaks on the Prime Video service – which was actually always ad-free. If you want to continue streaming ad-free, you can do so for EUR 2.99 per month. The golden days when digital services were available at bargain prices and you “only” paid with your data seem to be slowly but surely coming to an end. Because now real money should be made with more and more subscriptions.

But all of these “small” subscriptions add up quite a bit over time and can become a real cost trap if you lose track.