Alexa+: 5 things you need to know about Amazon's AI-powered voice assistant upgrade

Like seemingly everything else in the world nowadays, AI is coming to Amazon's voice assistant with the Alexa+. This is the most significant upgrade to Alexa since it was first released in 2014 and brings us one step closer to the film Her.

Before getting a worldwide release, Alexa+ will initially be released in the US (over the next few weeks). While it's still unknown when it will come to other territories, Amazon has hinted that it will come to the UK by the end of the year.

Considering this is the most notable update the software has received, and factoring in everything getting AI, we're breaking down below what this means for your Alexa and some other key features worth keeping in mind.

1. Alexa+ is coming, but at a price

First up, the good news: Alexa+ is free if you are an Amazon Prime subscriber. However, if you don't subscribe to Amazon Prime, then Alexa+ will cost $19.99 a month (UK prices are still unavailable), meaning Prime is just five dollars less than Alexa+.

We’re not ones to don a tin-foil hat, but this release feels like a strategy to ensure that anyone with an Alexa subscribes to Amazon Prime.

2. Full home integration

We all know The Simpsons has a strange habit of predicting the future. And it’s on the money again, as there is one episode that sticks in the mind when reading about Alexa+ is the AI house in the House of Whacks segment of Treehouse of Horror XII, with Amazon adamant this upgraded version of Alexa can help run your life.

If you're up for letting Alexa into your personal life, it can act as your assistant, managing your calendars and documents — even tapping into the rest of your smart home.

It means you can connect it to your Ring doorbell if you have one, providing summaries of what it can see. In turn, you can ask questions about key events it may have seen, such as 'Has anyone walked the dog lately?'. This all leans into the idea that Alexa+ will be more helpful and conversational than previous iterations. Alexa+ is going to try and be your mate, if you like it or not..

3. Alexa always remembers

Another defining feature of this upgrade is that Alexa+ will remember previous responses, so when applying the aforementioned personal tone, it can learn from you and offer more of what you traditionally would like to know.

Even remembering family dietary requirements is handy for anyone who uses the device to aid in their cooking or weekly shops. If you want this function to be optimised, the more you share, the more it will be able to learn and help.

4. You won't need to upgrade your device

As long as you have one of the more modern Alexa devices, the upgraded version will run fine and offer the best experience on later models with smart displays, which is why early access is only available on the Echo Show 8, 10, 15 or 21.

We have listed below the models that won't be able to run on the subscription-based software, but they are only the older models, so if you're relatively up-to-date, you'll be fine.

• Echo Dot 1st Gen
• Echo 1st Gen
• Echo Plus 1st Gen
• Echo Tap
• Echo Show 1st Gen
• Echo Show 2nd Gen
• Echo Spot 1st Gen

5. More third-party services are set to arrive later

Amazon doesn't want to stop here with Alexa+, and the launch is just the beginning, with more third-party services set to be added later down the line.

For now, it will connect with services like Uber. Still, in the future, there is a plan to integrate it further, with personal learning being able to help incorporate your individual needs, keeping in mind what it already knows.

The good news is if all of that doesn't sound like a bit of you, then you don't have to upgrade. However, we'll have to wait and see if the older, simplified version of Alexa is phased out in the future, but it's sticking around for now.

• You don’t need to ask Alexa about the best Prime shows — you can just read our feature instead.

Cover image/body images via Amazon.