Amazon has officially launched its latest voice assistant innovation, Alexa+, at a live event held on February 26, 2025, in New York City. This new version of the personal assistant builds on the company’s extensive experience with the original Alexa and incorporates cutting-edge generative AI technology to provide users with enhanced interaction and service capabilities.
Panos Panay, Senior Vice President of Amazon’s Devices and Services, unveiled Alexa+ during the event, showcasing its ability to respond to user commands more intuitively. Users can now engage with Alexa+ through natural, conversational prompts, making their interactions feel more like dialogues with a human being rather than exchanges with a program. For example, when Panay asked, "Alexa, what’s the duet song sung by actor Bradley Cooper?" the assistant effortlessly played "Shallow,” the hit song from the film A Star is Born.
Following this, Panay demonstrated Alexa+’s capability to link to the Amazon Fire TV when he prompted, "Alexa, can you jump to the scene from the movie?" Instantly, the system displayed the film’s gripping climax on the biggest Echo Show display, the 21-inch model. At the same time, the device retains support for users with existing Echo and Fire TV products, meaning nearly all devices shipped by Amazon can use Alexa+.
With Alexa+ set for rollout starting March 2025, its subscription plan is priced at $19.99 per month (roughly 3000 yen). Fortunately for Amazon Prime members, the use of Alexa+ will be free of charge, which may drive broader adoption among its loyal customer base. The launch, primarily targeted at English-speaking users, will first be available across the Smart Display series, including the Echo Show models of various sizes.
While the AI behind Alexa+ is built on advanced training from Amazon Web Services (AWS), led by extensive datasets, it remains lightweight on device performance. Therefore, Amazon intends to make Alexa+ accessible to all devices equipped with Alexa, especially those released since 2017.
Nedim Fresko, Vice President of Alexa Devices, shared insights on the extensive behind-the-scenes work leading to the development of Alexa+. "Alexa+ is built on extensive training using AWS to deliver refined user interactions," he stated, emphasizing how the latest AI capabilities have significantly enhanced the user experience.
The decision to introduce Alexa+ follows Amazon’s competitive analysis of the AI and smart assistant market. The announcement came just months after the surge of interest surrounding OpenAI's ChatGPT, marking Amazon's stepping-up efforts to refine and modernize their voice assistant technology.
Although Alexa+ will solely support English upon its launch, Amazon acknowledges the importance of multilingual support moving forward. Currently, it is unclear how or when Alexa+ will adapt to other languages or regions.
Participants at the launch event experienced hands-on demonstrations, emphasizing Alexa+’s conversational capabilities and integration across the Amazon ecosystem. Details were presented about planned expansions, including the introduction of its features to the Alexa.com website and features within the latest Amazon mobile app.
The steps Amazon is taking with Alexa+ showcase its commitment to enhancing user interaction through sophisticated AI capabilities. By leveraging years of accumulated data from existing Alexa users, the company strives to create personalized experiences based on individual preferences.
Looking forward, Alexa+ is set to redefine user expectations for digital assistants. Through this new offering, Amazon not only hopes to solidify its position as the leader in intelligent voice services but also to push the boundaries of AI applications for personal use.
For customers, the transition to Alexa+ promises not just improved performance, but the assurance of being at the forefront of technology innovation. With Alexa+ ready to launch soon, the future of interaction with digital assistants appears brighter and more engaging than ever, fostering connections through more relatable conversation.