Amazon's enhanced Alexa assistant, Alexa+, which is powered by generative AI, is now available to all customers in the United States as of Wednesday. The company has stated that this AI feature will be provided at no cost to Prime members across all compatible devices. Additionally, anyone can access Alexa+ for free through the Alexa website or mobile app, though with certain restrictions. Originally announced last year, Alexa+ is designed to be model agnostic—meaning it operates using a blend of Amazon's own foundational AI models alongside those from other companies. This approach enables the assistant to handle more advanced tasks than its predecessor by leveraging the most suitable AI technology for each job.

As an AI assistant, Alexa+ can engage in natural, flowing conversations that include follow-up questions and interactive dialogue. Beyond performing familiar smart home functions, setting timers, or providing news and weather updates, the new assistant is capable of most tasks associated with modern AI chatbots. This includes planning travel itineraries, updating shared calendars, finding and saving recipes to a personal library, offering movie recommendations, assisting with homework, exploring topics in depth, and more. Integrations with services such as Ticketmaster, Thumbtack, Uber, Angi, Expedia, Square, Yelp, Fodor’s, OpenTable, and Suno will also allow Alexa to manage more complex activities, like booking a dinner reservation or requesting an Uber ride. Amazon has not yet released user adoption figures for these more "agentic" use cases, where the AI operates autonomously to complete tasks. Throughout its year-long beta testing phase, Alexa users had the choice to try the AI feature or revert to the previous version. It is likely that Amazon desires additional time to refine the AI experience before making it mandatory for all users. The rate at which customers opt out remains a key metric to monitor, but Rausch notes that this figure is currently in the low single digits, indicating that most users are satisfied enough with Alexa+ to continue using it.

Nevertheless, Amazon has dedicated effort to resolving bugs and incorporating user feedback in preparation for this launch. Some beta testers, for example, reported that Alexa+ was overly talkative or interrupted at inconvenient moments. Others expressed dissatisfaction with Alexa's updated voice. Amazon has actively collected this feedback and implemented adjustments over time. For instance, the company revised the onboarding process so that Alexa now explains how to change her voice, accommodating those who prefer her original "OG" voice. That classic voice remains available as Alexa+ voice option number two, though it now utilizes AI to incorporate more natural inflection.

Rausch highlights that the overall experience is also customizable. If users prefer not to use follow-on mode—which allows Alexa to continue listening after responding—they can disable it. When asked whether users will be able to adjust the AI assistant's personality, similar to other chatbots that offer settings like personal, professional, quirky, or nerdy tones, Rausch responded simply, "Stay tuned."

During the beta period, Amazon observed positive trends in both adoption and engagement, with very few customers choosing to roll back to the earlier version. Music streaming increased by 25% after users upgraded to Alexa+, and deeper engagement with recipe features grew fivefold. Overall, customers are having two to three times more conversations with Alexa+ compared to the original Alexa. While Alexa+ will be free for U.S. Prime members, non-Prime customers may choose to pay $19.99 per month for standalone access—a price point comparable to services like ChatGPT Plus. Amazon notes that the free experience on web and mobile will include some limitations, primarily in place to prevent abuse. "I think we’ve got some great, generous limits. We’re not talking about exactly what they are today, but…there are some [limits]," Rausch explains. The Alexa+ experience in the United States will be accessible across all Alexa devices, including Echo products, Fire TV, Alexa.com, the Alexa mobile app, and Alexa-enabled devices from partners such as Samsung and Bose, with more integrations expected in the future.