Amazon claims it is going to make its upgraded Alexa+ voice assistant free for Prime members, however how lengthy can that final?
The price of a Prime membership has been the identical since 2022: $139 a yr or $14.99 a month. Right here we’re three years later, with inflation in full swing and Amazon’s dedication to spend $100 billion on AI in 2025, based on Fortune. We all know Alexa+ will not be low cost to run, and somebody has to foot the invoice.
Complicating issues, Amazon may also provide a $19.99 month-to-month standalone subscription to Alexa+. That is in regards to the going charge for AI assistants, akin to ChatGPT Plus and Microsoft Copilot+. Nevertheless it provides as much as $240 per yr—much more costly than a $139 yearly Prime subscription, and with out the free transport, Prime Video, and different perks.
One thing is not including up, which leads me to imagine it is too good to be true.
For argument’s sake, for instance Amazon does not improve Prime costs. Why would somebody pay extra to subscribe to Alexa+ as an alternative of simply getting a Prime membership? I think Amazon plans to make the standalone Alexa+ subscription extra superior, with extra options and a nicer interface than you get with the “free” model on Prime. That is what ChatGPT does with its Plus subscription (additionally $19.99 a month). Subscribers additionally get the very best and latest options, whereas free customers miss out.
Amazon briefly talked about on the occasion that Alexa is getting an internet interface, Alexa.com. Maybe it plans to develop Alexa+ as a separate entity on that platform, and the free model on Prime will probably be an appetizer to persuade us to purchase the complete meal.
The brand new Alexa appears spectacular, assuming it could ship on what we noticed on the launch occasion. Amazon execs took the stage to ask it questions, and it saved up a surprisingly humanlike dialog. It was far more fluid than the stiff instructions I bark on the Alexa gadget in my lounge, which the digital assistant nonetheless usually misunderstands. What we noticed on stage would revolutionize Alexa in contrast with what it’s at the moment.
Alexa+ may also take actions in your behalf, which is likely to be its most useful, promising functionality. You’ll be able to command it to “textual content mother I am on the best way” or “name a restore man to repair the oven instantly.” That is what makes Alexa+ a real assistant, and it goes past the fundamentals we all know at the moment (akin to “set timer” and “play music”). Amazon says you may additionally have the ability to command it to tug up a particular scene in a film.
“She’s smarter than she’s ever been earlier than, however she’s additionally approachable, which is so necessary,” mentioned Panos Panay, head of Amazon gadgets and providers. “She’s helpful. She will plan a date, e-book the restaurant, and textual content the sitter.”
Amazon additionally has so much to show, having ceded floor over the previous few years to opponents within the AI assistant house. That is in all probability why CEO Andy Jassy attended the Alexa+ reveal, signaling its significance to the corporate.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy kicks off the Alexa+ reveal with an summary of the corporate’s AI investments (Credit score: Bloomberg / Contributor / Bloomberg through Getty Photographs)
Alexa+ will compete with OpenAI’s Voice Mode, which is already out there for subscribers, although free ChatGPT customers can strive it at no cost for 10 minutes. (That is one other mannequin Amazon might probe for the Prime model.) A brand new model of Apple’s Siri can also be on the best way, coming in 2026. However Alexa’s greatest competitors might come from Google, particularly if it provides its AI voice assistant, Gemini Stay, to Google House.
As for whether or not Prime will get a value hike quickly, we’ll have to attend and see. However if you would like entry to Alexa+, now is an efficient time to enroll in a yr whereas a subscription positively nonetheless prices $139.
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About Emily Forlini
Senior Reporter
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