Amazon’s new AI-powered Alexa might cost up to $10 per month

Last year, David Limp, Amazon’s erstwhile elder vice president of devices and services, hinted astatine charging for a much susceptible mentation of Alexa — and present we person an thought of however overmuch it mightiness cost. A report from Reuters suggests that Amazon’s AI-supercharged mentation of Alexa could outgo anyplace from $5 to $10 per period connected apical of your Prime membership.

Sources archer Reuters that Amazon is aiming to motorboat the caller Alexa successful August, marking a “desperate attempt” to overhaul the dependable assistant. The paid mentation of Alexa mightiness not necessitate users to support saying “Alexa” erstwhile talking to the assistant. It volition reportedly beryllium susceptible of completing aggregate requests successful 1 prompt, specified arsenic penning a abbreviated email and ordering takeout from Uber Eats.

As reported by Reuters, the much precocious Alexa could besides connection the quality to “learn” from users and make routines, similar turning a customer’s java cookware connected erstwhile their alarm goes off. This tracks with past month’s study from CNBC, which said Amazon plans connected rolling retired a subscription for Alexa that doesn’t travel with Prime.

That doesn’t mean Amazon volition permission retired the escaped mentation of Alexa. As noted by Reuters, Amazon inactive plans connected replacing the basal mentation with 1 that offers caller generative AI features, but it volition enactment a much precocious Alexa down a paywall. The AI Alexa volition fto customers inquire for buying advice, specified arsenic what benignant of chapeau and gloves they should bargain for a upland climbing trip, arsenic reported by Reuters. That’s akin to the benignant of accusation Rufus, Amazon’s AI buying chatbot, tin provide.

When reached for comment, Amazon pointed The Verge to the connection it provided to Reuters: “We person already integrated generative AI into antithetic components of Alexa, and are moving hard connected implementation astatine standard — successful the implicit fractional a cardinal ambient, Alexa-enabled devices already successful homes astir the satellite — to alteration adjacent much proactive, personal, and trusted assistance for our customers.”

Over the past year, Amazon has been moving to overhaul its AI adjunct to support up with the AI chatbots from OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft. Even Apple has gotten into the AI crippled with an overhauled version of Siri coming to iOS 18. Amazon has already started investigating elements of its caller AI Alexa, which users articulation the waitlist for by saying, “Alexa, let’s chat.”