Alexa+, the upgraded, productive version of Amazon’s AI-powered assistant Alexa, is available to all U.S. customers starting Wednesday. The company said the AI feature will be free to Prime members on all devices. Meanwhile, anyone can use Alexa+ for free through the Alexa website or mobile app, with some restrictions.
“We have tens of millions of customers using Alexa+ now, and now we’re going to make it available to all Prime members… Prime members enjoy unlimited access — it’s basically a paid level of access that we’re now including in Prime,” Daniel Rausch, VP of Alexa and Echo at Amazon, noted in an interview with TechCrunch.
Announced last year, Alexa+ is model agnostic — meaning it works with a mix of Amazon’s foundational models and those of other companies, allowing the assistant to do more of its predecessor’s core tasks using whatever AI technology is best for the job.
As an AI assistant, Alexa+ can have natural language conversations that include follow-up questions and conversation with each other.
In addition to running smart tasks around the house, setting timers, or offering news and weather like before, the new assistant can do most of the things other AI chatbots can do — like plan a route for a trip, update a shared calendar, find and save recipes in a library, make movie recommendations, help with homework, explore a topic.
Additionally, integrations with services like Ticketmaster, Thumbtack, Uber, Angi, Expedia, Square, Yelp, Fodor’s, OpenTable, and Suno will allow Alexa to perform more complex tasks, such as scheduling a dinner reservation or requesting an Uber ride. Amazon has yet to share user adoption numbers in this more “practical” use case (where the AI acts autonomously to complete tasks) for the AI assistant.
During the one-year beta testing period, Alexa customers had the option to test the AI feature or revert to the previous version. The company tells TechCrunch that the option to revert to the old Alexa will continue to be available, but it can’t say for how long. Amazon likely needs a little more time to refine the AI experience before making it essential for users. Opt-out rate is also a key metric to watch, but Rausch notes that the number is in the low single digits, suggesting that most customers aren’t so unhappy with Alexa+ that they’re leaving.
However, Amazon had to work to fix bugs and address user feedback before this release. Some beta testers complained that Alexa+ was too chatty or that it stopped at the wrong times, for example. Others complained about Alexa’s new voice.
Amazon received this feedback and made changes over time. For example, the company overhauled the onboarding experience to let Alexa explain how to change her voice, as some preferred Alexa’s “OG” voice. (This voice is still available as Alexa+ Voice No. 2, but now uses AI to add more inflection.)
“Eventually, we had her use her new version of her old voice and then come back again, just to show the clients,” Rausch says, describing the changes the team made to the integration.
In another example, Amazon tried to make Alexa less prone to unwanted interruptions. Now, Alexa will ask, “Is this for me?” when the AI isn’t sure who it’s aimed at.
Rausch points out that the overall experience is also configurable. If customers don’t want the tracking feature, for example — which allows Alexa to keep listening after she answers — they can turn it off.
Asked if users will be able to change the AI assistant’s personality, like in other AI chatbots, where the AI can be set to be personal, professional, quirky, nerdy and more, Rausch simply says, “Stay tuned.”
During the beta, Amazon reported positive adoption trends in both usage and engagement, with few customers opting for repeats. Music streams increased by 25% after customers upgraded to Alexa+, and more customers are deeply engaged with recipes, a feature that has seen 5x growth.
Overall, customers have 2 to 3 times more conversations with Alexa+, compared to the original Alexa.
While Alexa+ will be free for US Prime members, non-Prime customers could choose to pay $19.99/month for standalone access — a price comparable to something like ChatGPT Plus.
Amazon notes that the free web and mobile experience will have some limits, but these are mainly to protect against abuse.
“I think we have some wonderful, generous boundaries. We’re not talking about exactly what it is today, but…there are some [limits]says Rausch.
The Alexa+ experience in the US will be available on all Alexa devices, including Echo products, Fire TV, Alexa.com, the Alexa mobile app, and Alexa-enabled devices from partners like Samsung, Bose, and more, with more to come.
