Amazon's Alexa+ Reaches Over 1 Million Users: A New Era of AI-Powered Digital Assistants

Over a million people now have access to the gen-AI powered Alexa+ | TechCrunch

More invites to Amazon's upgraded digital assistant, Alexa+, powered by generative AI, have been steadily rolling out. The service, first announced in February, now reaches over a million users, Amazon confirmed to TechCrunch on Monday. However, Alexa+ is not yet publicly available. Instead, Amazon has been working through its waitlist, sending out invites to those customers who originally signed up to test the service when it became available. Over the past several weeks, many people have shared on social media that they've received an invite to try Alexa+, whose service offers more natural and personalized interactions, smart home integration, and expanded capabilities thanks to AI. Alexa+ is available for free during Early Access and will later be free for Prime customers. Non-Prime users will be able to use the service for $19.99 per month after it publicly launches. Amazon earlier this year noted that invites to try out the new system would roll out in waves in the months ahead. As of May 2025, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said that Alexa+ had so far reached over 100,000 users, representing only a tiny fraction of the 600 million Alexa devices that had been sold. That number has grown significantly in the weeks since. Alexa+ represents a serious attempt by Amazon to create a generative AI experience for consumers that it can eventually monetize. Though Amazon created a market for smart home-connected, voice-based assistants through its Alexa-powered Echo devices, it wasn't able to turn that traction into a revenue-generating business. Meanwhile, Alexa lost its shine in more recent years as generative AI services, like ChatGPT, took off. Compared with modern-day AI, Alexa began to feel clunky, constrained, and underpowered. Alexa+ aims to bring the digital assistant new capabilities. The service allows users to chat with the digital assistant using more natural language, where you can phrase requests your own way. For instance, you could tell Alexa, "It's too cold in here," to have Alexa adjust their smart thermostat. You'll also more easily be able to create routines, search across your Ring camera footage, interrupt or pivot the conversation with the assistant, and more. The experience is more personalized, too, as it saves your preferences and remembers what you like, from favorite songs to recipes and beyond. With its generative AI component, Alexa can do things like summarize long emails you share with the service, create unique bedtime stories, generate quizzes from study guides, make travel itineraries, provide summaries of your smart home activity, and answer other questions, similar to how an AI chatbot might respond. Plus, the assistant will be able to help you take certain actions -- like buying concert tickets, booking a dinner reservation, and notifying you when something you've been watching goes on sale, among other things. Initial partners on this feature include OpenTable, Ticketmaster, Uber Eats, Tripadvisor, Grubhub, Yelp, Priceline, Viator, Thumbtack, Atom, Fodor's, and others. While in early access, Alexa+ will initially be available on Echo Show 8, 10, 15, or 21 devices in the U.S. Over time, it will expand to more Echo customers, Fire TV users, and Fire tablet users.

Alexa+ now talks to over one million users

Amazon has confirmed that its generative AI-powered digital assistant, Alexa+, initially announced in February 2025, now serves over one million users through an invite-only early access program in the U.S. The company has progressively expanded access to Alexa+ by sending invitations to customers who registered on the waitlist. This initiative follows an earlier statement from Amazon CEO Andy Jassy in May 2025, when Alexa+ had reached over 100,000 users. The current user base of over one million represents a significant increase since that time. Alexa+ offers enhanced capabilities, including more natural and personalized interactions and integration with smart home systems. During its early access phase, Alexa+ is available at no cost. Upon its public launch, the service will remain free for Amazon Prime subscribers. Non-Prime users will incur a monthly fee of $19.99 for access to Alexa+ after its official release. The initial rollout of invites occurred in waves over several months. Alexa+ incorporates generative AI to facilitate conversational exchanges, allowing users to articulate requests using natural language. For example, a command such as "It's too cold in here" can prompt Alexa+ to adjust a smart thermostat. The system also supports the creation of customized routines, enables searches within Ring camera footage, and permits users to interrupt or redirect ongoing conversations with the assistant. The service is designed to be personalized, retaining user preferences regarding elements such as music and recipes. The generative AI component enables Alexa+ to perform various functions, including summarizing lengthy emails, generating unique bedtime stories, creating quizzes from study guides, developing travel itineraries, providing summaries of smart home activity, and responding to general inquiries, similar to a standard AI chatbot. Alexa+ can also execute transactional tasks, such as purchasing concert tickets, making dinner reservations, and notifying users about price reductions on monitored items. Initial integration partners for these transactional features include OpenTable, Ticketmaster, Uber Eats, Tripadvisor, Grubhub, Yelp, Priceline, Viator, Thumbtack, Atom, and Fodor's. Currently, Alexa+ is accessible on Echo Show devices, specifically the 8, 10, 15, and 21 models, within the U.S. market. Amazon plans to extend availability to additional Echo customers, Fire TV users, and Fire tablet users in the future. User feedback during the early access period has been varied. Some early adopters have commended the service, noting its advanced features in comparison to other digital assistants, while others have indicated that the platform still requires refinement. Amazon has stated that approximately 90% of the features initially announced for Alexa+ have been implemented.