According to a recent report, Amazon is planning to create a premium version of its AI assistant, Alexa, with a monthly charge. This updated version, which may go by the name "Remarkable Alexa," is expected to cost $5 to $10 a month. This information was shared with Reuters by current and former Amazon employees.
This improved version of Alexa has been under development by Amazon for a few months. The revised AI model, which was first unveiled by Amazon last fall, intends to let Alexa have more natural conversations with users. Amazon demonstrated that the new Alexa would not need to be addressed as "Alexa" all the time in order to take part in conversations. The voice assistant will also likely grow into a more complex persona.
Predictably, the enhanced Alexa will be available as an optional add-on, which means that while the new functionality will be accessible through a paywall, the current Alexa services will continue to be free. Reuters points out that Amazon's plans are subject to change and are not yet finalized.
Development Challenges and Progress
According to a recent Fortune report, the new Alexa's development is moving slowly. The report makes clear that Amazon has found it difficult to stay up with the advances in AI achieved by Google, Microsoft, and Meta. Amazon, which was once at the forefront of the voice assistant market, is now having to catch up. An employee told Fortune that Alexa runs the risk of becoming a "digital relic."
One of the most difficult issues in implementing new features is ensuring compatibility with the current Alexa system. In order to maintain the voice assistant's existing functionality, developers must work with the old technology stack. Progress has also been hampered by the LLM team behind the AI model receiving some unhelpful suggestions as a result of the development departments' isolation from one another.