Alexa grows a brain: Amazon's AI overhaul finally arrives

Amazon just fired a massive salvo in the AI assistant wars. Alexa Plus launched Wednesday, marking the biggest overhaul of the voice assistant since its 2014 debut.

The upgraded assistant costs $19.99 monthly—but comes free with Prime membership. That's a shrewd move by Amazon, instantly giving it a massive potential user base without requiring additional subscription fees from its 200+ million Prime members.

Alexa Plus promises to transform how we interact with our smart homes. Gone are the stilted, command-based exchanges. The new system handles natural conversations, remembers context from earlier chats, and acts proactively on your behalf.

"Until this moment, we have been limited by technology," declared Panos Panay, Amazon's devices chief who previously led Microsoft's Surface team. The wait appears worth it. Alexa Plus can now book restaurant tables, purchase concert tickets, analyze documents, and even check your security cameras to confirm if someone walked the dog.

The system pulls its smarts from multiple AI models. Amazon's in-house Nova model powers some features, while others tap Anthropic's technology. The assistant chooses the optimal model for each task. This flexibility extends to third-party services, with launch partners including Uber, OpenTable, Sonos, Zoom, and Ticketmaster.

Content partnerships boost Alexa's knowledge base too. The Associated Press, Reuters, TIME, and Politico provide real-time information about news, sports, and financial markets.

Alexa Plus works across Echo devices, with initial rollout focusing on Echo Show 8, 10, 15, and 21 models. The company also redesigned the visual interface for displays, adding customizable widgets and improved smart home controls.

The upgrade arrives at a critical moment. While Alexa dominated the smart speaker market for years, Google's Gemini, OpenAI's ChatGPT, and Apple's forthcoming Siri upgrade threaten Amazon's position. The company clearly hopes Alexa Plus recaptures its innovation edge.

The new Alexa Plus will start rolling out in the U.S. in the next few weeks, with access coming in waves over the coming months. Initially, it will be available for households with Echo Show 8, 10, 15, and 21 devices.

According to the announcement, "early access" will begin in March 2025, so the first wave of users should get access within the next few weeks.

Why this matters:

• Amazon just transformed millions of existing smart speakers into AI powerhouses overnight, potentially leapfrogging competitors through sheer market presence.
• The free inclusion with Prime membership creates an instant massive user base for Amazon's AI, generating valuable data while making advanced AI accessible to mainstream consumers.
• By focusing on practical tasks rather than just answering questions, Amazon positions Alexa Plus as a genuine assistant rather than merely a chatbot with a voice.