Amazon Empowers Alexa with AI: Will You Shell Out for It?

Amazon recently unveiled an exciting new Alexa feature at its 2025 Devices & Services event, enhancing its home assistant with cutting-edge AI capabilities. This upgrade significantly boosts Alexa’s intelligence, giving its smart speakers some impressive new functionalities.

Meet Alexa+, Powered by AI

The introduction of ChatGPT in 2022 opened the doors for everyday users to access AI technology, making it only a matter of time before such features made their way into smart speakers. Google was among the pioneers, testing its Gemini AI on a few Google Nest models, although it’s still in the development stage and has various limitations. Amazon has jumped ahead of the competition with its broader launch of Alexa+.

If you own an Alexa speaker, you have the option to upgrade to Alexa+, which offers several key benefits. According to Amazon, this new feature will greatly improve communication with Alexa. Thanks to advanced AI models like Amazon Nova and Anthropic Claude accessed via Amazon Bedrock, Alexa+ will better comprehend your requests—understanding everything from casual phrases to complex commands, even if you take a moment to gather your thoughts.

Additionally, Amazon has rolled out a feature called “experts,” which comprises collections of systems, capabilities, APIs, and instructions designed to tackle specific tasks for users. This will simplify interactions with your IoT devices, allow you to utilize applications, set reminders, and more, all from your speaker.

Moreover, Alexa+ can remember the preferences of you and your family, taking these into account in its responses. For instance, if you share your food allergies, Alexa+ will retain this information, ensuring it doesn’t suggest food options that might be harmful when placing future orders.

Opt for a Subscription for Smarter Features

While these innovative features are designed to make AI accessible to a broad audience—especially considering the 600 million Alexa devices in use globally—they come at a cost. The Alexa+ service is priced at $19.99 per month for new subscribers, which some may find steep. However, if you’re already a member of Amazon Prime, Alexa+ is included, enhancing the value of your Prime membership with additional benefits that you might have missed.

This makes Amazon Prime an incredible deal, especially since it costs only $14.99 per month in the U.S., roughly $5 less than solely subscribing to Alexa+. For students and young adults (ages 18-24), this membership is even more affordable at just $7.49 per month.

Currently, Alexa+ is rolling out exclusively in the U.S., with gradual availability. Amazon has indicated that the Echo Show 8, 10, 15, and 21 will be the initial models to receive this feature over the next few months as part of an early access rollout. If you’re eager to experience these AI features firsthand, Amazon recommends purchasing one of these devices now and signing up on the New Alexa page for a chance at early access.