Alexa+: the new intelligent brain from Amazon
An advertisement that marks a turning point
Amazon has once again moved the pieces on the technological chessboard with an announcement that promises to redefine the interaction between humans and machines.
In February 2025, the company officially unveiled Alexa+, the evolution of its famous voice assistant, now powered by generative artificial intelligence.
The message was clear: “Alexa stops responding to start thinking.”
With that phrase, Amazon hinted that its goal goes far beyond improving the home experience — it aims to position itself on the same playing field as ChatGPT, Gemini, or Copilot, but with a crucial competitive advantage: a massive base of millions of devices already present in homes around the world.
The new Alexa+ doesn’t just execute commands or play music — it understands context, holds natural conversations, and learns from the user.
According to the company’s official announcement, this version integrates its own language model, developed on Amazon Bedrock’s infrastructure, enabling it to generate more natural responses and perform chained tasks autonomously.
The launch began with an Early Access phase available in the United States, and within weeks, more than 100,000 users were already testing its capabilities.
By the summer of 2025, Amazon confirmed that the number had surpassed one million active users, making Alexa+ the fastest rollout of an assistant version in the company’s history.
More than just an update, Alexa+ is a complete reinvention of the digital assistant concept, and its arrival marks the beginning of a new global competition in the field of conversational intelligence.
What is Alexa+ and how does it differ from the traditional assistant?
For years, Alexa was synonymous with convenience: turning on lights, playing music, or reading the weather report with a simple voice command.
However, Alexa+ completely breaks away from that “question and answer” model.
Amazon presents it as an assistant with generative artificial intelligence, capable of holding natural conversations, understanding context, and acting autonomously.
On a technical level, the change is profound.
Alexa+ integrates a new brain based on Amazon Bedrock, the infrastructure that allows the company to deploy its own language models (such as Titan) combined with contextual learning technology and conversational reasoning.
In other words, it no longer interprets commands: it understands them.
This enables something unprecedented in a home assistant:
remembering past interactions, identifying user preferences, and even anticipating actions without the need for explicit instructions.
For example, it can suggest adjusting the lighting if it detects that you always do it at a certain time, or recommend content based on your habits.
Another important difference lies in its mode of interaction.
While the original Alexa relied on rigid commands (“Alexa, set the alarm for seven”), the new system allows you to speak naturally:
“Alexa, I think I have to get up early tomorrow… remind me to wake up early and make coffee.”
And the AI understands the intention, adjusts the alarm, and activates the appropriate routine without any further instructions.
Additionally, Alexa+ is multimodal: it can combine voice, text, and even images on devices with screens, such as the Echo Show 8, 10, 15, and 21.
This means it not only listens, but also sees and responds visually: it can identify objects, display contextual information, or show how to make a recipe step by step.
The leap is not only technological but also conceptual.
Alexa ceases to be just an assistant and becomes an intelligent companion — an AI you can converse with, improvise with, and learn from.
Main Features and Key Highlights
The leap from Alexa to Alexa+ is not just a matter of software.
Amazon has completely redesigned the user experience, integrating its new generative AI to offer a more human, more contextual, and more useful interaction.
These are the features that make the difference:
Natural and Contextual Conversation
Alexa+ no longer relies on specific commands.
Users can speak to it as they would to a person, using natural phrases without constantly repeating “Alexa.”
The AI understands the context of conversations and remembers what has been said previously.
Example:
“Alexa, remind me about yesterday with Marta.”
– “Sure, do you want me to remind you about Tuesday’s meeting or the pending message?”
This contextual understanding is made possible by the new language model integrated into Amazon Bedrock, which gives Alexa+ conversational memory.
Personalized Memory and Continuous Learning
Alexa+ can remember preferences, names, likes, or habits.
This allows it to personalize each user’s experience without the need to repeat the same information.
For example, it can suggest turning on the heating if it detects that you always do it at a certain time, or recommend a series based on your previous tastes.
Important: Amazon assures that users will be able to manage and delete their memory at any time from the Alexa app, maintaining control over their privacy.
Execution of Complex Tasks
With Alexa+, you can perform chained tasks without intermediate steps.
Previously, you had to activate predefined routines.
Now, you just need to explain what you need, and the AI constructs the complete action on its own.
Example:
“Alexa, I’m having guests tomorrow night.”
— The AI adjusts the lighting, plays background music, suggests recipes, and sets reminders.
A level of automation that brings it closer to a proactive home AI rather than just a simple voice assistant.
Multimodal Interaction (Voice, Text, and Image)
On Echo Show devices, Alexa+ can combine voice with visual elements: displaying charts, recognizing objects, or visually explaining an action.
Example:
“Alexa, show me how to change a coffee filter.”
– It displays an explanatory video or an illustrated step-by-step sequence.
This opens the door to educational experiences, interactive tutorials, and personalized visual communication.
Visual Recognition and User Adaptation
Thanks to the cameras integrated into some models, Alexa+ can identify who is speaking and adapt the response to the user’s profile.
This means it can offer personalized responses for each family member: from task lists to music or calendar recommendations.
Multimodal Interaction (Voice, Text, and Image)
On Echo Show devices, Alexa+ can combine voice with visual elements: displaying charts, recognizing objects, or visually explaining an action.
Example:
“Alexa, show me how to change a coffee filter.”
– It displays an explanatory video or an illustrated step-by-step sequence.
This opens the door to educational experiences, interactive tutorials, and personalized visual communication.
Together, these improvements turn Alexa+ into a true conversational assistance ecosystem, capable of combining generative AI, automation, and personalization within a single home environment.
Availability, devices and price
The launch of Alexa+ was officially announced in February 2025, during Amazon’s annual event dedicated to innovation and smart devices.
Since then, the company has begun a gradual rollout that started in the United States and will expand progressively to other countries over the coming months.
Phased rollout
- United States: Early Access phase launched in February, available to a select group of users.
- Latin America and Europe: Amazon has confirmed that the international version will launch during 2026, starting with the United Kingdom, Germany, and Spain.
- Supported languages: for now, only English; support for Spanish, German, French, and Italian is expected in the second phase.
According to data published by The Verge and Cinco Días, Alexa+ reached over 1 million active users in its first six months, confirming the global interest in this new generation of intelligent assistants.
Compatible devices
At launch, Alexa+ is only available on select next-generation Echo Show devices: Echo Show 8 (3rd gen), Echo Show 10 (2nd gen), Echo Show 15, and Echo Show 21. Amazon has explained that older models will not be upgradeable to Alexa+ due to the hardware requirements needed to run the new generative AI model.
However, previous devices will continue to receive support under the classic Alexa, which will coexist with Alexa+ for a while.
Subscription model
One of the most talked-about aspects of the launch has been the new subscription model.
Amazon has chosen a freemium strategy, integrating Alexa+ within the Amazon Prime ecosystem while also offering additional options for external users.
- Prime users: free access to Alexa+ at no additional cost.
- Non-Prime users: monthly subscription of US $19.99 to access all features.
- Future plans: Amazon is considering launching tiered access levels that will combine free basic features with premium options (for example, complex tasks or advanced customization).
This model allows the company to maintain a broad user base while monetizing its more advanced features.
Strategically, it positions Alexa+ as a home AI platform with the potential to become a global service, extending beyond smart speakers.
Current limitations and early critiques
Although the launch of Alexa+ has been one of Amazon’s most ambitious moves in recent years, its initial rollout has not been free from criticism or some frustration among early users.
The assistant promises a revolution based on generative AI, but — at least for now — it is still far from reaching its full potential.
Incomplete features
Some of the most anticipated advancements, such as autonomous creation of complex routines, integration with third-party services, or family recognition through voice and image, are still unavailable in the Early Access version.
According to media outlets like The Verge, Amazon chose to launch Alexa+ partially in order to collect usage data and fine-tune the model before the full-scale rollout.
The company has confirmed that these features will be activated progressively, but without a definitive timeline.
Variable accuracy and inconsistent performance
Early tests from tech media report an accuracy rate between 30% and 60% in complex tasks.
For simple commands — such as playing music or controlling devices — performance remains excellent, but chained actions and open-ended responses still show inconsistencies.
Amazon claims it is fine-tuning the generative model and expects to reach 90% accuracy before its international rollout.
Aggressive advertising and monetization
Another source of criticism has been the appearance of full-screen ads on some devices with Alexa+.
Several Echo Show users have reported banners or promotions that interrupt the visual experience, sparking debate about the balance between usefulness and monetization.
Media outlets such as Tom’s Guide indicate that Amazon may be testing different advertising formats before defining its final strategy, including the possibility of paid ad-free plans.
Privacy and memory management
The new contextual memory feature — capable of remembering names, routines, or preferences — has raised concerns about privacy.
Amazon has responded that users can view, edit, or delete their stored data at any time from the Alexa app, and that the information is not shared with third parties without consent.
Even so, some security experts recommend caution, since an assistant with persistent memory implies new responsibilities regarding the protection of personal data.
Community and media reaction
Despite the criticism, the overall reception has been positive in terms of innovation.
Publications such as Wired and Xataka highlight that, although the product is not yet complete, it marks the beginning of a new generation of voice assistants.
Users especially appreciate the conversational fluency and sense of naturalness, though they acknowledge that it still lacks “the touch of real intelligence” that Amazon promises to achieve with future updates.
Alexa+ is, for now, a work in progress: revolutionary in concept but experimental in execution.
Even so, it represents a solid step toward the future of AI interaction at home, where conversation becomes the new interface.
What Alexa+ means for the future of digital communication
The launch of Alexa+ is not just a technological update — it is a clear signal of where communication between brands, users, and intelligent systems is headed.
For the first time, a home assistant is capable of interpreting emotions, remembering context, and responding with intent, completely transforming the way we interact with information.
Voice is becoming established as the most natural channel of digital connection — and Amazon knows it.
While Google explores its AI Mode and OpenAI experiments with ChatGPT integrated into devices, Alexa+ is moving toward a model where conversation becomes the primary interface.
This redefines the concept of usability: it’s no longer about clicking or tapping, but about speaking and being understood.
The new era of conversational marketing
For companies and brands, this evolution opens up an unprecedented opportunity.
Alexa+ could become a new touchpoint between consumers and services, driving a more organic and personalized form of conversational marketing.
In the near future, a user will be able to ask:
“Alexa, recommend a law firm specialized in commercial law in Barcelona.”
And the assistant will provide results based not only on traditional SEO but also on semantic authority, brand trust, and content quality.
This means that companies will need to optimize their visibility strategies to be understood by these AIs, not just found by search engines.
From clicks to conversations
With Alexa+ and other generative AI models, the relationship between users and brands becomes more fluid and more natural.
Searches stop being transactional and become conversational experiences.
Each interaction becomes an opportunity to build connection and trust — values that traditional SEO could not measure with such precision.
A change also for creators and developers
The arrival of Alexa+ also brings a technical challenge.
Voice interfaces, auditory content, and interactive environments will require a new information architecture designed to be understood by generative AI models.
At Xarxalia, we see this as a natural step: the web, SEO, and development must evolve toward a more accessible, more conversational, and more human environment.
An opportunity to rethink communication
Ultimately, Alexa+ represents the beginning of a stage where artificial intelligence does not replace human language but amplifies it.
Brands that learn to communicate with authenticity — both with people and with the machines that represent them — will be the ones that stand out in this new era of interaction.
The new voice of intelligence
Alexa+ is much more than a software update — it’s a technological manifesto.
Amazon has not only introduced a more advanced version of its assistant but also a new paradigm in the relationship between humans and artificial intelligence.
With this evolution, voice ceases to be a control tool and becomes a means of connection and understanding.
For the first time, a home assistant can understand nuances, remember experiences, and generate responses that feel like they come from a real conversation.
And that changes everything — the way we search, learn, and communicate with technology.
But this advancement also reminds us of something essential: artificial intelligence only makes sense when it serves people.
That’s why at Xarxalia we closely follow every innovation — not to be dazzled by novelty, but to understand how it can improve the way brands communicate, users experience, and ideas come to life.
The future of digital communication no longer lies in clicks but in conversations.
And as artificial intelligence learns to speak with us, we must learn to speak with it.
At Xarxalia, we work to make that conversation human, coherent, and strategic — integrating technologies such as generative AI so that brands not only adapt to change but lead their own digital narrative.
Because the new voice of intelligence is already speaking… and it’s closer than you think.