Amazon’s AI Alexa subscription may arrive in October

Amazon is preparing to release the biggest Alexa update since the voice assistant first appeared, according to internal documents obtained by The Washington Post. In September 2023, Amazon will A more powerful version of Alexa Using AI Voice Assistant It has much better capabilities, understands context much better, and doesn’t require you to repeatedly use the “Alexa” wake word.

According to documents seen by The Washington Post, the new update will ultimately Mid OctoberGet access to the upgraded version of Alexa Paid subscription required it is, $10/month.

The new Alexa could be much more useful

AI-powered features bring Alexa back into the spotlight

Alexa may not have been the first voice assistant, but Amazon’s strategy has made it one of the most popular. Low-cost smart speakers Train her to other companies Our Products Most of us have at least one Alexa device in our homes, and they’re so affordable that you can place them anywhere in your home.

But despite being around for nearly a decade, Alexa hasn’t really changed much: It’s still handy for asking the weather or playing music, and being able to control your smart home devices by voice is still a big selling point, but… Chat GPT and Google Gemini But the current version of Alexa feels outdated and lacking in features.

The new version of Alexa aims to change all that. Harnessing the power of generative AI and large-scale language models, the updated Alexa will be much more capable. When the Alexa changes were announced last year, we got a sneak peek at what Alexa could do. In a demonstration, Dave Limp, then head of Amazon’s Devices and Services division, had a lengthy conversation with Alexa without even saying “Alexa.” Wake word every time.

He started by asking how his favorite football team was doing, which Alexa remembered from a previous conversation. He then mentioned that he was planning a watch party for the next game and asked Alexa to suggest side dishes that would go well with the food he was making for the game. He asked Alexa what the weather would be like on the day of the game, then asked Alexa to compose a message to invite his friends, and finally had that message sent to his phone. All of this was done without Alexa asking for any additional information; all the previous context was extracted from the conversation.

One of the best Smart Home Features Teased was the ability to create complex Alexa routines just by asking Alexa: An example given was asking Alexa to turn on the coffee maker, open the blinds, dim the lights in your study, and play the morning news every day at 8 a.m. The routines were created instantly, whereas today they take much longer. Manually It was also possible to give Alexa multiple commands at once, like telling her to turn off the lights, lock the front door, turn off the TV, etc. You could also give a more vague command, like “make the lights look spooky,” and Alexa would obey.

It’s unclear how many of these features will be available when new versions of Alexa are released, but hopefully we’ll see all of these features built into Alexa in the future.

The new Alexa may not arrive in October, but it’s getting closer

However, the updated features come at a cost.

But it may be a little early to get too excited about the new Alexa coming in October: The Washington Post published a similar story earlier this year about a different internal company document that said the new Alexa was scheduled to launch in September 2024.

But a new Alexa seems on the way, and we probably won’t have to wait long if it doesn’t launch in mid-October. What’s almost certain, though, is that you’ll have to pay to use the new Alexa. According to documents leaked by The Washington Post, the subscription fee could be as much as $10 per month. Alexa will need significant new skills to convince people to pay for something they currently use for free.