The truth is that Alexa has not turned out to be what Amazon initially wanted from her. Although in 2023 the assistant experienced a growth of 40% only within Spain, Alexa is still not profitable for the company. However, Amazon has a plan to take Alexa to the next level: using artificial intelligence.
According to the publication of Business Insider, Amazon would be working on Alexa Plus, a version of the assistant that is smarter and more conversation-oriented thanks to the use of AI. This would be a paid version that could only be accessed by paying a subscription. The voice technology it uses has been dubbed Remarkable Alexa and so far, 15,000 people have been able to test it, with somewhat questionable results.
And it seems that this new Alexa wouldn’t be as smart as it seems, at least for now. Workers involved in the project anonymously stated that Alexa’s response quality is still not up to par and tends to provide false information. Despite these setbacks, Amazon wants to have this technology ready by June 15, 2024.
Despite the success of Alexa among consumers, the assistant still does not generate profits for Amazon to this day. The situation became so unsustainable that in 2023 the company carried out a series of layoffs and cuts to stabilize the situation. And despite everything, Amazon does not want to give up on Alexa.
The goal to achieve is to turn the assistant into a viable business model for the company, something that could be accomplished if Alexa Plus succeeds. One of the Amazon employees who spoke to Business Insider hints at this: “If this doesn’t generate revenue, Alexa will be in trouble“
