We can now welcome Amazon back into the virtual assistant race, knowing that a AI-powered Alexa+ will be coming to your Amazon device in the near future (assuming you live within the US – international release dates have yet to be confirmed). Alexa, what have you done?
Alexa, despite leading the charge in virtual assistants back in 2014, dropped out of development for a year or so there as Silicon Valley’s new AI upstarts like ChatGPT, and Gemini took over the virtual assistance space. Alexa was stuck in the status of a glorified talking egg timer while they added voice modes and started to interact with our calendars, inboxes and other applications. Apple’s Siri is not doing much to capitalize on the stalling of Alexa’s development. Apple was also caught off guard by the AI equivalent to the Cambrian explosion. But at least Apple Intelligence has made an attempt to enter the AI wars, even if they seem to be forever playing catch-up.
Alexa’s back
Now Alexa has a bit more attitude. The Alexa+ demo yesterday was notable for the fact that Amazon Devices leader Panos Panay referred to Alexa frequently as “her”with no mention whatsoever of changing Alexa’s voice or gender. I still find it strange to call an AI “he” or a “she”which is why I’m sticking to “it” for this article. Please don’t cancel me.
OpenAI, on the other hand, put a lot into demonstrating all the different voices it could use. Half of them are male, and half are female. Apple’s Siri has a very diverse voice. It offers both male and female voices and can speak in different accents.
I don’t think Amazon will not offer a way for Alexa+ to be customized. You can change the voice of the current Alexa by saying “Change Voice” but Amazon is clearly trying present Alexa in an more personal and human manner than other big tech companies with their talking AIs.
Fun to talk with
Amazon refers to Alexa not only as “her”but also as she (damnit! See how easy it is for you to think of Alexa like a person?) Alexa has a much more personable personality than ChatGPT, Siri or Gemini. Alexa makes jokes and adds funny comments. You can hear her (OK, I’ll give in) sounding light, breezy, and fun when you watch the demo videos for Alexa+:
@techradar TechRadar’s original sound
Alexa+ can even crack a few jokes:
@techradar Original sound – TechRadar (19659014) Incidentally, when it comes to changing Alexa’s voice, Amazon used offer celebrity voices as downloads. The US-only feature was $4.99 for each of Shaquille o-Neal, Melissa McCarthy and Samuel L Jackson. However, the company removed them all in 2023. I would have loved to be able to speak to a Samuel L Jackson Alexa+ version with this expanded range of responses and attitudes. Imagine how cool it would have been if Samuel L Jackson Alexa+ was able to channel some of his energy from his movie roles onto your Alexa device. Jules Winnfield, from Pulp Fiction, telling me what is on my calendar today, and that yes, “I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers”would boost my day like no amount of coffee could. Conversely, talking to Siri or ChatGPT at the moment doesn’t have the same emotional spark as even basic Alexa+. Although they are functional, they’re not as entertaining as the direction Amazon has taken Alexa+. Amazon may have found a niche by creating an AI chatbot that has a little personality. This could help it recover from its slow start to the AI arms race. Alexa+ was designed to be used on a device in your home and not on your phone or computer. It’s not a huge difference in terms of technology, but the way you use Alexa+ is different. You are in a new location, you are at a distance from it, and you have a completely different mindset when you use the device. Alexa+ is not expected to be able produce C++ code. Alexa+ can be used for fun things like watching movies, playing music and reading stories to your children. It can book a table at your favorite restaurant, organize your diary and do other clever things. But, while Apple or OpenAI will own the AI that lives in your pocket or office, it looks like Amazon will own the AI at home. I wish it would bring the custom voices back so Alexa+ could truly be her or his brother’s keeper.
Alexa Plus explained – 9 things to know about Amazon’s new AI-powered Assistant
Graham, Senior Editor at TechRadar for AI. Life, Maximum PC, and more. He has been featured on BBC TV shows such as BBC One Breakfast, and Radio 4 to comment on the latest tech trends. Graham holds an honors degree from the Department of Computer Science. He spends his free time podcasting and blogging.
