Amazon’s AI-powered Alexa+ wants to be your best friend—for $19.99 per month

Amazon has unveiled a new version of its popular voice assistant Alexa, infused with generative AI, which will allow it to have more personality and human-like conversations. The updated Alexa, called "Alexa+", will be available for a monthly fee of $19.99, but will be free for Amazon Prime members. The new features include the ability to learn about a user's preferences and allergies, create study plans, and even plan romantic dates. Alexa+ can also fetch videos from Ring cameras and remember handwritten recipes and documents. Amazon executives demonstrated the new features at a media event in New York City, showcasing the voice assistant's ability to have more natural conversations and sense the surrounding mood. The company has sold over 600 million Alexa-enabled devices and user engagement grew 20% last year. The revamped Alexa uses large language models, including some developed by Amazon and others by Anthropic, a generative AI startup. Amazon will start rolling out "early access" to Alexa+ in the US next month, followed by international releases. The upgraded assistant will be available across Alexa-supported devices, but some features are only built for products with screens. The subscription fee for Alexa+ will help Amazon offset costs related to AI development and make its devices operations more profitable.