Amazon has finally launched its voice assistant Alexa+, which is based on generative AI, directly in web browsers for the first time. It is a move that targets popular platforms based on AI chat. Alexa.com is now a reality, as it is a significant change for Amazon AI because it is not just expanding its assistant beyond its Echo devices or mobile applications but into a space that is dominated by platforms such as ChatGPT or Google Gemini.
Despite the hype that exists with regard to the launch, the event itself raises as many questions about the maturity and superiority of Alexa+ over the competition as it does about the future strategy of Amazon in the field of AI.
Over the last decade, the primary focus of Alexa has been as a virtual assistant that is linked to Amazon Echo series smart devices, and these applications may have provided value through convenience, such as lighting up homes, answering simple queries and listening to music. It has never been looked upon as innovative AI; however, with the launch of Alexa+, this is all going to change.
With this new platform, users with early access will be able to log in and engage with Alexa+ just as they would with any other chat-style AI. This will not be limited to voice responses on smart speakers but will allow users to engage with Alexa+ on the web for activities like responding to complex queries, creating text content, planning trips, and managing their calendars.
This means that Alexa+ is more capable and versatile. However, it also illustrates that Amazon is late to the game because rival firms such as OpenAI and Google have long-established web-centric AI interfaces with gigantic user bases and huge development communities, and it seems that this is more about bringing things up to speed than anything else.
Furthermore, some of these users are also uncomfortable with how much data access is required to enable these functionalities. For example, Alexa+ usually requires data access to enable personalised response features to complete certain tasks, and for some users, these are clear warnings, especially since other models such as ChatGPT and Gemini give their users control to provide data or not.
While Amazon is attempting to catch up, the competition remains active. OpenAI’s ChatGPT has already developed a very strong base and a robust natural language understanding and developer base ranging from thousands of plugins and integrations. Google’s Gemini is also leveraging a wide base of the company’s search infrastructure and personalisation signals. Alexa Plus is still very much rooted in executing tasks within its own world rather than discovering and specialising in tasks.
Alexa.com is not without potential, as many users already interact with Amazon in so many ways via shopping, entertainment, smart home devices and more; embedding an AI assistant throughout those experiences could grant new utility to it all. The key will be execution, delivering an AI that feels smarter and more intuitive than what competitors provide rather than just Amazon’s version of a chatbot.
By moving Alexa+ into the browser, Amazon takes a necessary step, but that does not mean it will be successful. Other brands, like OpenAI and Google, already have momentum, developer support, and widespread adoption. Now, Amazon has the tools to compete, as it remains to be seen whether Alexa+ will become the go-to AI platform instead of a supplementary feature.
The true test won’t be launch day headlines; it’ll be adoption, satisfaction and how quickly users choose Alexa+ over the competition when it comes to the things they care about most and using AI assistants.
