Amazon on Wednesday launched its next-generation AI assistant, Alexa Plus, with real-time problem-solving capabilities and a vast knowledge base. The company described the new product as a “complete re-architecture” of Alexa.

Alexa Plus is built on large language models (LLMs) via Amazon Bedrock, a cloud-based AI service offered by Amazon Web Services (AWS). Alexa Plus leverages multiple models, including Amazon's own Nova and Anthropic's Claude. This "model-agnostic" approach ensures Alexa Plus selects the most suitable AI model for each task.

Amazon has developed a system of “experts” — specialised groups of application programming interface (APIs), capabilities, and instructions that handle specific tasks with precision. It brings new agentic capabilities, allowing it to independently browse the internet and complete tasks without user supervision.

Alexa Plus is free for Amazon Prime members, while non-Prime users can subscribe for $19.99 per month. The service went live on Wednesday, initially in the US and will be available on select Echo Show devices, including the Echo Show 8, 10, 15, and 21.

Introducing a subscription fee could reportedly help Amazon offset AI development costs and make Alexa a more profitable business.

"Alexa knows almost every instrument in your life, your schedule, your smart home, your preferences, the devices you're using, the people you're connected to, the entertainment you love and uses many of the apps you use, a lot of the services you need," said Panos Panay, Amazon's head of devices and services, at a launch event in New York.

Although Amazon’s Alexa debuted three years after Apple’s Siri, it played a key role in popularising voice assistants. However, a lack of major updates over the years led to a decline in user engagement, especially as AI technology advanced.

Alexa, introduced in 2014, was a project driven by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, that initially led the way in voice assistant technology.