Amazon makes Alexa+ AI assistant available to everyone in the U.S.

Amazon on Wednesday announced it’s making Alexa+ available to everyone in the U.S., almost a year after it launched a revamped version of its digital assistant.

Alexa+ has been in an “early access” preview since last March, meaning consumers had to join a waitlist or purchase newer devices to use the generative artificial intelligence-powered voice assistant.

Amazon has pitched the service as a souped up version of its 11-year-old Alexa that can handle multiple queries at a time, and serve as an “agent” that takes actions on your behalf, like booking a repairman or an Uber ride.

Starting on Wednesday, Amazon will begin charging users $19.99 a month to access Alexa+. The service remains free for Prime subscribers who pay $139 a year for a membership, and is free for anyone to try via an Alexa+ website and app.

Access to the free Alexa+ experience will be “limited based on use,” Amazon said.

Daniel Rausch, Amazon’s vice president of Alexa and Echo, said in an interview that tens of millions of consumers are using Alexa+.

Amazon is overhauling its Alexa service in response to the rise of AI chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude.

Launched in 2014, the original Alexa wowed users by letting them chat with, and get immediate responses from, a digital assistant by using their voice. Users primarily interacted with Alexa through Amazon’s Echo smart speaker.

With Alexa+, Amazon has put a website and app front and center. Most users interact with chatbots like ChatGPT or Gemini via text or voice on web browsers or smartphone apps.