Amazon Revamps Alexa With Generative AI After Year-Long Delay

Amazon has launched a comprehensive AI overhaul of Alexa, representing the voice assistant's most significant update since its 2014 debut. The new "Alexa Plus" enables multi-turn conversations without repeating wake words, replacing the previous command-response interaction model.

The system now handles complex tasks including booking concert tickets, making restaurant reservations via Yelp integration, and creating smart home routines autonomously. Technical capabilities include image analysis, content-aware movie navigation, and semantic music search that processes vague descriptors rather than exact titles. Originally announced in September 2023 for early 2024 release, the update faced prolonged delays as Amazon engineers struggled with technical challenges.

Internal testing revealed the new AI-powered assistant performed inconsistently against OpenAI's ChatGPT and suffered from verbose responses. Amazon's legacy architecture -- designed to retrieve predefined answers rather than generate responses dynamically -- complicated the transition to generative AI models. The launch represents a critical test for Devices & Services chief Panos Panay, who replaced Dave Limp amid reorganization following layoffs that affected the division.

Delays are not a good sign for reckless companies

[Somervillain]

Amazon has never had very high standards, especially on their own devices. While their hardware is obviously premium, Apple also has the reverse-midas (everything they touch turns to shit) touch with software, historically. Both companies delayed there Generative AI rollouts substantially. With Apple, I could give them the benefit of the doubt. They have a premium reputation and their software reverse midas touch doesn't seem as bad as it was 10 years ago...so maybe they did the right thing and delayed

Re:

[shanen]

But can the cautious companies afford to wait? Is there a window for "AI market" dominance that will soon close?

Nice FP, but hard for me to reply without sounding like I'm flaming Amazon... [Is it important to distinguish between sincere but fanatical flamers and insincere but conflict-loving trolls? I actually dislike conflicts though I sometimes learn from them...] Short "disclaimer" is that I will not voluntarily touch anything from Amazon. And yet I am willing to touch DeepSeek? [Yesterday's successful

Yes...quality being first

[Somervillain]

But can the cautious companies afford to wait?

The only thing worse than not having AI is having useless AI. Yes. All companies can wait on AI until they have useful features. Wall Street may not like it, but if you're providing goods and services, you need to ensure what you're providing has a point...otherwise, it's just an expensive bullet point on a brochure.

For many companies, AI is a solution in search of a problem...at least with AI's current capabilities. Now if you're talking sci-fi grade AI...then there's LOTS of great uses, but not muc

Solution in search of a problem

[Dan Posluns]

> The system now handles complex tasks including booking concert tickets, making restaurant reservations via Yelp integration, and creating smart home routines autonomously

Who wants to do any of these things with a voice assistant?

* The handful of times I book tickets to something, I want the visual interface to understand my options and pick the best one, I don't want to trust some unreliable verbal narrative.
* I don't even remember the last time I made reservations at a restaurant... I suppose that's still a thing plenty of people do, but again, if you care enough to make a reservation, I wouldn't want to trust a verbal exchange with a machine to either get it right or give me the best option. Hell, I'd even want to see on a map to know that they got the right restaurant and not some other place with a similar-sounding name in Poughkeepsie.
* Creating smart home routines autonomously - is there an actual use case for this? It sounds like BS to begin with, but even if it isn't, creating smart home routines is something I'd expect to do once and then never again (maybe touch them every few years). Who needs or wants a voice assistant for that?

Re: Solution in search of a problem

[Bodrius]

If they do this right this could lower the barrier of entry for smart homes to be useful in the mainstream (vs the enthusiast side). Which is one of those perpetual promises of Alexa-like devices that has never gotten quite there... Setting up smarthome automation is still like being an audiophile in the 90s

Home automation is one area where Alexa as an interface still makes sense - if their LLMM can make the routine setup *automomous* you never sit down and "setup the routines". Give Alexa a prompt with gen

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[unrtst]

Similar feeling here, except I'd say the music stuff (being able to mumble parts of a song and have it figure it out) is the useful bit.

Having it setup smart home devices? FYI, it already does device setup, and will can even scan for new ones and automatically add them. Configuring routines and scenes and setting which devices are in which groups... I can't see how that would be easier by voice than via a config screen! And note, the existing stuff isn't using "AI".

Where AI *might* help, though it should be

Re: Solution in search of a problem

[Bodrius]

The fact we are even thinking in terms of groups and commands and "configuring" those is what I mean this feels like being an audiophile in the 90s. It wasn't bad but you had to be an active hobbyist (or hire professionals): understand the tech and setup *exactly* what you want and replace tech periodically etc.

Today random people buy some Sonos-like speakers and it either sounds great for them or they buy something else - price-aside it requires less personal investment than your microwave.

Ideal home autom

Re: Solution in search of a problem

[Viol8]

Smart homes are for the terminally bone dle. Seriously, if you're too effing lazy to get off your fat backside and turn on a light or close the curtains then you deserve your heart attack. And no, it's not the same as a tv remote - I could flick through 10 channels before I find something. I wont switch the light on and off 10 times in one go while I see if I like the colour.

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[_merlin]

It's stuff Bezos would get his personal assistant (PA) to do for him. He'd never deal with a booking interface himself, he has someone he pays to do that. Alexa is supposed to be the PA for people who can't afford a PA. The trouble is it won't be able to deal with anything off-script at all.

Nothing customers asked for ....

[King_TJ]

Honestly, this feels like just another push for AI for the sake of being "cutting edge", despite the need not being there.

I've been a big Alexa user for years, with 5 Echo Dots around the house doing home automation tasks, etc.

The annoyance of having to repeat the "wake word" is really only a minor problem, because the majority of the time? You really only need to have one interaction with Alexa at a time anyway. (EG. Set a timer for 15 minutes when putting something in the oven.) Meanwhile, that requirement adds some reassurance Alexa isn't just leaving the mic open and processing a bunch of needless content if people in the room start talking about something else, right after you gave Alexa one command or task to do.

The things Amazon needs to do to improve the Alexa experience are precisely the things they refuse to do! For example? Customers on their forums have asked for years for Amazon to add ability to schedule tasks bi-weekly or monthly. (I have a reminder set so it tells me to take out my trash cans on Tuesday nights. But we have recycling on alternate weeks. I have no way to have it remind me when it's a trash AND recycling day vs just a trash day!)

They also had some promising things happening in the realm of home security, with routines that would have Alexa listen for the sound of breaking glass or a smoke detector beeping and could run custom routines based on it. Then they got greedy and took all of it away again, making it part of some paid package that hardly anyone I know is interested in paying for as a subscription-based upgrade. The whole "draw" of this functionality was using it as part of a home-brew security system that HAD no monthly fees associated with it!

I was working on a system like that using Eufy's products in conjunction with Alexa before they pulled it. I had things set up so I could just tell Alexa, "I'm leaving." and it would arm the Eufy "home base" so anything triggering Eufy's Bluetooth motion sensors or magnetic door sensors would send my phone push notifications and let me view what was going on, on my cameras. Additionally, Alexa would have that "sentry" routine enabled so breaking glass noises or my smoke alarm going off would do the same. I didn't want/need it to start dialing 911. I just wanted notification something could be wrong so *I* could investigate and take action as needed, myself.

Other area they need improvement are with overall reliability when streaming music. If you tell Alexa to play music to "all devices", you typically wind up with issues in short order. One device starts playing music a bit out of sync with another and/or you get stuttering and drop-outs. It really should be doing broadcast IP so the single stream of audio is sent to all devices, vs establishing a number of separate connections to the audio source, device by device. (Maybe it is, but it sure doesn't act like it to me?)

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[unrtst]

Couldn't agree more! Why can't it turn the lights off in an hour? That's the sort of thing it should excel at doing. And pulling away features like the broken glass / smoke alarm detection, and also IFTTT (IF This Then That) integration!?!? I feel Richard Stallman crying in the depth of my soul - these are so much worse than that stupid printer.

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[Idzy]

I tell my echo show to turn off the lights in 3 hours all the time that way my Glo Fish get some regular light too. I really need to sit down and build a routine for it one of these days. I know I would be getting Alexa Plus to do it for me because I want to actually control what its doing. I'm hoping I can use Home Assistant and use the Echo's and dots to be the interface and take Amazon out of the loop as much as possible.

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[unrtst]

I tell my echo show to turn off the lights in 3 hours all the time ...

TBH, that's never worked for me, but I haven't tried it in years cause I gave up on it. Thanks, I'll definitely give this a shot again.

I really need to sit down and build a routine for it one of these days.

If saying, "turn off the glo fish in 3 hours," works and covers all you need, you probably don't need a routine. That said, they are VERY easy to make manually in the Alexa app (More (hamburger menu) -> Routines -> + (add), and build them right there).

I'm hoping I can use Home Assistant and use the Echo ...

Ditto, and I've been looking into this every 6-12 months to check on the current state. AFAICT, I won't behave how I'd

Good for Amazon but dont care.

[Slashythenkilly]

I will never understand why anyone would want electronic devices in their home from a private company that wants to sell you everything and then sell your info to 3rd parties. This "AI" crap has already gone too far.

But does it work?

[sjames]

Meanwhile on Reddit, Alexa owners are noticing that Alexa seems to have come down with dementia. It forgets things that it had been doing without fail before, and can't seem to understand commands it used to. It seems to be becoming less useful.

All in the name of "cool new features" nobody was asking for.

Pricing

[EvilSS]

Alexa+ costs $19.99 per month, but is free for all Prime members.

For anyone interested. Also expect a Prime price hike in the near future.