The days of asking Alexa endless questions, requests and advice for free could be numbered. It’s thought the online retail giant is working on a new and much more intelligent version of its clever smart assistant and those wanting to use it will need to pay. That’s according to a recent report from news agency Reuters who say Amazon is “planning a major revamp of its decade-old money-losing Alexa service”.
Those happy to pay could be given access to a premium upgrade which will give Alexa the power to complete more intense tasks and deal with far more complicated queries.
For example, it’s rumoured that the paid-for version of Alexa will be able to compose an email, send it and then order your nightly takeaway from firms such as Uber Eats with one simple voice command. Alexa could also become far more conversational and even be smart enough to learn your routines. So, if every morning you make a coffee after the alarm goes off it can switch on the kitchen lights and fire up the kettle automatically.
Although there’s no official confirmation of the update, Amazon has hinted that improvements could be on their way.
In a post sent to shareholders earlier this year, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy confirmed that the firm was working on a “substantial number of GenAI applications across every Amazon consumer business,” including “an even more intelligent and capable Alexa.”
Reuters first broke the news about this all-new assistant back in June and some experts are now suggesting that it could arrive imminently with rumours that it will cost around $10 per month (£7.70).
Since its launch back in 2017 Alexa has become a household name with millions of voice requests answered every month.
However, despite so many people using it, Amazon doesn’t currently make a penny extra from customers.
Once an Alexa-powered device – such as an Echo speaker – has been purchased, the chatty assistant is then totally free to use and that’s costing Amazon billions in lost revenue according to the Wall Street Journal.
Now it seems Amazon finally wants to make this service profitable.
There’s currently no suggestion that free Alexa will be scrapped but a premium offering looks set to arrive very soon. It’s likely that an initial launch will take place in the US with areas then following.
Will you pay for Alexa? Tell us in the comments below.
