At Amazon’s February 2025 Devices & Services live event today, the company has been focused on its history with AI and how it will continue to use AI to find innovative solutions for customer problems.
“We have been using AI expansively for over 25 years. And the way we think about AI and technology in general at Amazon is that we don’t use the technology because we think it’s cool or interesting. It is—but we use it to solve real customer problems,” Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said to kick off the event. “We happen to believe that virtually every customer experience that we all know of will be reinvented using generative AI. And altogether new experiences that we only dreamed of before are going to be possible.”
To start, Amazon announced an update to its Alexa assistant that will use generative AI to make it easier for users to control Alexa with more natural conversations. The updated user interface was shown off on the Echo Show on stage.
Here’s how Amazon describes the updates users will notice with Alexa+:
- Conversational: Alexa+ engages in natural, flowing conversations that feel genuine. It understands context and meaning, creating seamless interactions with no precise “Alexa” language.
- Personalized: Alexa+ learns from you and the more you use it, the more personalized it gets— understanding everything from your favorite entertainment to your family’s dietary preferences, allergies, and weekly traditions.
- Gets things done: Alexa+ acts on your behalf, handling everything from date planning and gift shopping to travel arrangements and study help. From simple tasks to complex projects, it provides assistance you can trust.
- Even smarter: Alexa+ combines vast knowledge with an approachable personality, making generative AI feel natural and accessible. Helpful intelligence ready whenever and wherever you need it.
What can you do with Alexa+?
Many of the updates for Alexa revolve around using your voice and having natural conversations to integrate Alexa more into everyday life.
Users can already create routines with Alexa by setting up personalizations that line up with schedules. Now, Alexa+ will allow you to set up those routines with your voice rather than going through the app. For home entertainment, Alexa will now give personalized music and movie recommendations, allow your music to follow you around the house on multiple devices, and answer questions you’d normally have to Google during a song or movie scene.
Amazon wants Alexa+ to help you manage your home, too. Mara Segal, director for Alexa, shared with the event audience that “Alexa+ now understands and remembers your preferences and important information” to be more useful with things like scanning emails and setting up calendars.
To further integrate Amazon into your home, Alexa+ can work with your Ring devices to give you an overview of what’s happening around your home on any given day.
And, for the kids, Alexa has two new features for Amazon Kids+ subscribers – “Stories with Alexa” and “Explore with Alexa.” Both are meant to “encourage imaginative thinking that will spark new ideas and inspire new questions.”
Alexa+ Availability
Alexa+ will begin rolling out in the U.S. in the next few weeks starting with households with Echo Show 8, 10, 15, and 21. Alexa+ will cost $19.99 per month but will be free for all Prime members.