Alexa users may have to PAY for upgrades as Amazon mulls monthly fee – but people say they will ‘switch in a heartbeat’
ALEXA users may have to pay for upgrades to the voice assistant as Amazon mulls a monthly fee – but users say they will “switch in a heartbeat”.
Jeff Bezos’ tech giant is set to bring in a conversational generative AI similar to ChatGPT for Alexa.
But the AI will have two tiers of service with the company considering a between a £4 and £8 fee to access the better version.
Decade-old Alexa has long been loss-making for Amazon since it was introduced with the Echo line of speakers n 2014.
Sources told Reuters that Amazon has dubbed the new voice assistant “Remarkable Alexa” and given a staff an August deadline to complete it.
There is also reportedly no tie in with Amazon’s £95-a-year Prime membership.
But some Alexa users weren’t fans at the thought of having to pay for what is currently a free service.
One user said: “In a heartbeat I would switch to some other platform. All I use her for is turning lights on and off, and playing music or setting cooking timers.”
Another wrote: “I’ll probably pay a monthly fee if it becomes necessary, mostly because changing / investing in a whole new system seems like a pain in the butt, but there may come a time when I decide the negatives outweigh the positives.”
While a third posted: “I have been saying this shit for a year. This is why alexa is getting dumber. To encourage you to spend this money.”
Amazon told Reuters in a statement: “”We have already integrated generative AI into different components of Alexa, and are working hard on implementation at scale—in the over half a billion ambient, Alexa-enabled devices already in homes around the world—to enable even more proactive, personal, and trusted assistance for our customers.”
ChatGPT‘s sudden ascent has spurred a massive explosion in AI developments from the likes of Google and Microsoft.
In April, Amazon boss Andy Jassy revealed that the company was working on an “even more intelligent and capable Alexa”.
“We’re building a substantial number of GenAI applications across every Amazon consumer business,” he said.
The AI news comes as Alexa customers are about to lose vital access to shopping and to-do list apps.
Shopping and to-do list apps such as AnyList and Todoist will stop working with Alexa voice commands on July 1, reported The Verge.
The Sun has contacted Amazon for comment.
Amazon Prime Day 2024 UK: deals to expect in the July sale event
THE next Amazon Prime Day deals event will soon be upon us.
The 48-hour flash sale, available exclusively for Prime members, is one of Amazon’s largest annual sale events. During the sale the retail giant offers up some fantastic price cuts across the site.
First launching in 2015, Prime Day was traditionally a once-a-year event.
However, since 2022, Amazon has delivered two events per year — one in the original July slot and one in October.
The double whammy gives bargain-hunters even more opportunity to take advantage of timely price cuts on goods throughout the year.
In the last Prime Day sale, which took place in October 2023, shoppers were treated to major price cuts on several bestselling items.
Top offers included plenty of Amazon devices, with an ‘outstanding’ deal on the 32-inch Fire TV that was slashed to £150.
We also saw the popular £380 Shark cordless vacuum cleaner get a massive £150 discount during the sale too.
The 48-hour event is a good time for price-conscious consumers to pick up savings on tech and home appliances, but there are considerable savings in other categories too.