I've had Alexa, Amazon's cloud-based voice service, in my house for the better part of a decade. I had the original rounded tower in my first post-grad apartment, and now the second-generation Echo Spot (7/10, WIRED Review) has a permanent place in my office as I cycle among different smart speakers while testing for my guide to the Best Smart Speakers.
For years, Alexa's been a constant for controlling my many smart lights and allowing me to jam to my playlist of choice. There was always a lot Alexa could do if you had the patience to install the skills, invest in smart-home gear, and perfect the best way to ask Alexa your question. But the newest iteration feels like a smart speaker you can actually have a conversation with.
That version of Alexa is Alexa+, announced back in February, and it is currently available for early access. Right now you join a waitlist and wait to get randomly selected, and Amazon doesn't have a set timeline for when everyone will get access. It's free right now for Alexa users, and once it's public and in its final version, Alexa+ will cost $20 a month (or be free for Prime subscribers).
While I can do many of the things I tried with Alexa+ with the original Alexa, it's certainly been much easier (and, dare I say, a little fun) to talk to the newest version. It's an improved audio and visual experience, and—at least, to my ears—the new, more natural-sounding voice is a relief after years of Alexa's robotic tones.
A Fresh Face
Photograph: Nena Farrell
Alexa+ feels akin to the AI chatbots of the world, which isn't a huge surprise given that it was built with generative AI. Compared with the previous iteration, this feels much more modern, though not a new take by any means when we've had ChatGPT and its competitors in our lives for years now. Still, it's refreshing to see on a smart speaker, especially since these devices have felt a little left behind in the current AI landscape.