Alexa+ Unveiled: How Amazon’s $20/Month AI Assistant Rewrites Smart Home Rules

Amazon Alexa+ First Look: Generative AI Meets Your Kitchen, Calendar, and Kids

Let me start with a scene you’ll recognize: It’s 7:30 AM. You’re half-awake, fumbling with a coffee maker that’s stubbornly silent. “Alexa, start the damn coffee,” you mutter. The old Alexa would’ve chirped, “I don’t know that one!” But Alexa+? It laughs—a warm, human chuckle—before your Keurig hums to life. “Caffeine incoming. And language, David,” it teases.

This isn’t sci-fi. It’s Amazon’s Alexa+, a generative AI overhaul that wants to be your sous-chef, babysitter, and personal librarian. But after testing it, I’m torn: Is this the assistant we’ve waited for, or a $240/year reminder that AI still stumbles in socks on a hardwood floor?

The Good: When It Works, It’s Magic
Take the document wizardry. During Amazon’s demo, Director Mara Segal uploaded her grandma’s zucchini bread recipe. “Alexa, how much oil?” she asked. Instantly, the Echo Show 15 flashed: “1 cup vegetable oil—Grandma’s note says ‘don’t skimp!’” Later, I tried this with my HOA’s 22-page rulebook. “Can I install solar panels?” Alexa+ scanned the PDF, citing clause 4.3b: “Yes, but submit Form 12-C to avoid fines.” Chillingly efficient.

Then there’s the contextual awareness. Say, “I’m cold,” and Alexa+ adjusts the thermostat and texts your spouse: “David’s cranky. Bringing home hot cocoa.” (I wish.) In reality, it dims lights and queues up fireplace ambient sounds on Spotify. It’s subtle—no Jarvis-level genius—but smoother than old Alexa’s robotic literalism.

The Bad: “Alexa, Why Are You Like This?”
But let’s not sugarcoat it. During my test, Alexa+ hallucinated a Twilight sequel when asked about Robert Pattinson’s filmography. It booked a 9 PM dinner reservation… at a breakfast diner closed after 3 PM. And the much-touted “AI-generated lullabies” via Suno? My kids demanded I “stop the robot noise” after a grating country tune about a “bodega cat named Taco.”

Privacy hawks will balk, too. Alexa+ needs access to emails, docs, and Ring cameras to shine. When I asked, “How many times did the dog bark today?” it scrubbed through 6 hours of footage, timestamping each woof. Handy? Sure. But having Amazon’s AI parse your life feels like inviting a detective into your diary.

The Price Tag: Prime Real Estate
Here’s the rub: At $19.99/month (free for Prime members), Alexa+ isn’t for dabblers. It’s for families neck-deep in Amazon’s ecosystem—Ring cameras, Fire TVs, Kindle libraries. The Echo Show 15 becomes its command center: A “For You” panel suggests recipes based on your gluten-free diet, while AI-generated bedtime stories (“Princess Tesla and the Robot Dragon”) pacify toddlers.

But if you’re a Google Nest or Apple Home household? Alexa+ feels like a foreign diplomat—polite, but lost without a translator. Try asking it to play Apple Music, and it defaults to Amazon Music Unlimited. Request a “scene where Iron Man snaps” on Disney+, and it awkwardly fast-forwards through Infinity War on Prime Video instead.

The Competition: Siri’s Shadow Looms
Amazon’s timing is… bold. With Apple’s Siri revamp and Google’s Gemini looming, Alexa+ needs to justify its subscription. Yet in raw utility, it’s ahead where it counts: smart home orchestration. While Siri fumbles with multiple devices, Alexa+ can “move Beyoncé to the backyard speakers” while locking doors and preheating the oven—all in one breath.

But for $240/year, I’d expect fewer “Hmm, let me check that” delays. And the lack of Gmail/Calendar integration stings. Alexa+ can’t schedule Zoom meetings or parse work emails unless you forward them manually—a clunky workaround in 2024.

The Bottom Line
Alexa+ isn’t for everyone. But if your life runs on Amazon—Prime deliveries, Ring cameras, Kindle bedtime stories—it’s a tantalizing peek at AI’s potential. Just don’t expect perfection. Or sanity checks.

As Panos Panay told me backstage: “We’re teaching Alexa to think, not just react.” After a week with it, I’d say it’s more like a gifted toddler—brilliant one moment, baffling the next. But hey, toddlers grow up. Maybe Alexa+ will too.

Alexa+ Compatibility & Pricing