Amazon finally launched Alexa+, the long-delayed revamp of its Alexa voice assistant based on large language models. Alexa+, however, shows how difficult is it to replace an established voice assistant with generative artificial intelligence, especially when users are expecting instant, consistent results. It’s a reality check for those who think Amazon has delivered something Apple promised but hasn’t delivered.
Alexa+ is available as a limited preview on Select Echo deviceswere designed to combine the conversational capabilities of generative AI and Alexa’s legacy abilities like setting timers or playing music as well as controlling smart home devices. According to a detailed review by The New York Times,the result is more fluid conversations with some impressive new capabilities. The change has caused serious reliability issues and missing features. Even basic commands are not working. Kevin Roose, New York Times technology writer, summarized Alexa+’s current state as not yet recommended:
Despite its new capabilities Alexa+ is still too buggy and unreliable to recommend. In my testing it was not only behind ChatGPT’s voice mode but also other A.I. Voice assistants I have tried were noticeably worse at basic tasks than the original Alexa.
During testing, Alexa+ ignored requests to cancel alarms, delivered incorrect information, and hallucinated the shopping recommendations.
Amazon executives acknowledge that the product is still “edges of sand”as the hybrid deterministic/LLM method struggles to match Alexa’s dependability. Apple faced a similar challenge with its next-generation Siri project. The company had originally hoped to merge Siri’s deterministic systems and a new generative layer of AI, but was forced to scrap that initial attempt. Apple, unlike Amazon, has not released the hybrid model in its incomplete form to the public. The company is said to be targeting spring 2026 as the timeframe for its personal Siri update.
Apple may have delayed shipping, frustrating those of us who are eager for a Siri with more AI power. But Amazon’s rocky release is a reminder that rushing to replace a system before it’s ready can be dangerous.
Perhaps the good news is that Apple appears to believe it will be able to deliver even more when its new Siri system is available. Add 9to5Mac’s Google News feed.FTC: we use auto affiliate links that earn income. More.
