The paid version of Alexa is coming soon! Called Remarkable Alexa, its capabilities will be increased thanks to artificial intelligence. To benefit from it, you will need to take out a paid subscription different from that of Amazon Prime.
Since they arrived in our homes, voice assistants have made themselves very useful, even indispensable. Thanks to their technologies, they make it possible to instantly answer a question or control connected objects in the home only with voice, without even the use of a keyboard or remote control. If, initially, these tools were only available on smartphones, they ended up developing and taking up residence in our homes: televisions, speakers, headsets, robot vacuum cleaners, etc.
Today, Alexa, Amazon’s intelligent voice assistant that is integrated into Echo products, has gained the trust of users. Embedded in more than half a billion devices worldwide according to the Seattle giant, Alexa will undergo a brand new facelift in the coming months. Indeed, Amazon is developing a new paid version with generative artificial intelligence, codenamed “Banyan”. And, according to information collected by ReutersAmazon would have given the teams in charge of developing Alexa a deadline for its launch: August!
Remarkable Alexa: a more advanced but paid version
As a reminder, David Limp, the head of Amazon’s devices division, had already suggested that Alexa could become chargeable in order to cover the excessive costs of artificial intelligence. As revealed Business Insider, Amazon was working on an even more advanced version of its star voice assistant. The American company particularly wanted to develop a new, even more efficient version, called Alexa Plus at the time. Thanks to generative artificial intelligence, the voice assistant had to be able to give more precise and succinct answers, but only for customers who subscribe to the paid subscription.
As a result, there would be two versions of Alexa: a free Classic Alexa, with basic AI, and Remarkable Alexa, a much more powerful voice assistant for which you would have to pay a monthly subscription of between $5 and $10 per month. . Please note, this paid plan would not be included in the Prime subscription.
“We have already integrated generative AI into different components of Alexa, and we are working hard on implementing it at scale – in more than half a billion ambient, Alexa-enabled devices, already in homes around the world – to enable even more proactive, personal and reliable support for our customers”said an Amazon spokesperson in a statement.
As envisioned, the paid version could perform more complex tasks such as writing and sending a short email, ordering food from Uber Eats, all from a single request. It could also eliminate the need to say “Alexa” repeatedly during a conversation with the voice assistant, offer greater personalization and allow routines to be created by observing users’ habits, such as turning on the coffee maker. a customer when their alarm goes off.
Remarkable Alexa: a bet that is far from won
This is a desperate attempt by Amazon to keep up with the AI race. However, Reuters sources say they have difficulty understanding why customers would be willing to pay for a service, even a revamped one, that is now offered for free. Additionally, the e-commerce company has faced false starts in AI development and various issues.
Last January, we learned that Remarkable Alexa had been tested with 15,000 customers and the results were not entirely convincing. Indeed, even if Alexa Plus communicated more fluidly and naturally with its users, its responses were too long and not yet precise enough. Additionally, there are internal differences of opinion. Some Amazon employees believe that the voice assistant should remain completely free. The bet is therefore far from won…