According to information obtained by Business Insider, Amazon plans to release a new subscription-based version of the Alexa assistant this year, enhanced with generative artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. The version, called “Alexa Plus,” will offer more capabilities than the free version of the assistant.
Reports indicate that the company has been testing the new assistant version with approximately 15,000 external users over the past few months. So far, the quality of responses from Alexa Plus has not met the development team’s expectations. The assistant has been providing answers that are too long or inaccurate and has had difficulty performing tasks that require simultaneous use of multiple services, such as turning off lights and music at the same time.
Amazon’s plan is to launch the paid version of the assistant on June 30th, although this date may be shifted if issues persist.
This is not the first time we have heard about the possibility of introducing a subscription for the assistant. In an interview with Bloomberg in September, David Limp, Amazon’s corporate vice president, mentioned plans to introduce a subscription model for Alexa. He stated that before implementing fees, the company needs to deliver something exceptional that meets users’ expectations.
Amazon has been losing ground to competitors like Google Assistant and Siri in recent years. The paid version of the assistant could be a significant boost for the company and a chance to regain its leading position.
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