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We’ve known that’s the case for a while: The company says it’s integrating it into various aspects of its voice assistant, but it’s also working on a more advanced version of Alexa that it will charge users for, which Amazon has reportedly dubbed “Remarkable Alexa” (let’s hope they don’t use that name when it launches to the public).
according to Amazon has yet to determine the price or release date for the Remarkable Alexa, but consumers will pay around $5 to $10 a month for it. Amazon is also said to be encouraging employees to have the Remarkable Alexa ready by August, presumably to discuss details at its annual Alexa and Devices event in the fall.
This marks the first major refresh of Alexa since Amazon introduced its voice assistant alongside its Echo speakers a decade ago, as the company tries to catch up with rivals such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy is reported to have a personal interest in the refresh, having pledged in an April shareholder letter that the company was working to create a “smarter, more capable Alexa.” Jassy said last August:
“We’ve already integrated generative AI into various components of Alexa and are working hard to implement it at scale across the more than 500 million Alexa-enabled devices already in homes around the world, enabling us to provide even more proactive, personal, and trustworthy assistance to customers,” an Amazon spokesperson said. ReutersHowever, the company has yet to introduce a version of Alexa that is capable of more natural voice and conversation.
Notably, Alexa is said to be capable of issuing complex instructions, such as composing and sending an email or ordering dinner, all with a single command. Deeper personalization is another aspect, while Amazon reportedly expects consumers to use Alexa for shopping advice, similar to how .
Upgrading home automation capabilities is also said to be a priority: reports suggest that the Remarkable Alexa may be able to get a better understanding of user preferences, so it could learn to turn on the TV for a specific show, or turn on the coffeemaker when your alarm goes off (though it’s already very easy to set this up through existing smart home systems).
Alexa has long been an unprofitable business for Amazon; the company laid off hundreds of people working on the voice assistant in 2015. It’s not all that surprising that the company would try to make more money from the Remarkable Alexa (which the company claims won’t be offered as an Amazon Prime perk). Customers may need to buy new devices with more powerful tech built in for the Remarkable Alexa to work properly.
Either way, $10 (or even $5) a month to upgrade your voice assistant seems like a hard sell, especially when the current free version of Alexa can already handle a wide variety of tasks.