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Amazon offered a bit more insight into how it sees its AI platform competing in the real world at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week. Namely, Amazon plans to leverage the extensive footprint its devices already have in the home as well as consumers\u2019 existing familiarity with its Alexa brand.<\/p>\n
\u201cNinety-seven percent of devices we ever shipped can support Alexa+,\u201d noted Amazon Alexa and Echo VP Daniel Rausch<\/a> in an interview at CES. He said the latest figures Amazon has on hand indicate the company has sold more than 600 million devices, and the \u201cvast majority\u201d will support its revamped AI assistant, Alexa+.<\/p>\n Announced early last year<\/a>, Alexa+ is Amazon\u2019s future in the generative AI market, offering more expressive voices, access to world knowledge similar to other AI assistants, and AI agents that perform tasks on behalf of the customer \u2014 like calling an Uber or ordering food. The company has been steadily rolling out access to the AI platform, with more than 1 million Alexa customers gaining access by last June<\/a>, and now, \u201ctens of millions<\/a>\u201d can opt in to upgrade to the AI assistant.<\/p>\n Amazon doesn\u2019t have an exact date for when Alexa+ will be available to everyone; the company is focusing first on bringing the AI to all Prime members.<\/p>\n What Amazon soon has to prove, beyond availability, is whether customers will actually use its AI. That\u2019s where Rausch believes Alexa\u2019s existing footprint will help. <\/p>\n \u201cI think that there\u2019s going to be a whole range of AI out there for customers. I think that Alexa will be one of the foundational assistants,\u201d he said. While he believes there will always be some specialist AIs on the market, like those that focus on one thing, like being a legal assistant, there will be a few \u201cnameable, foundational AIs that are highly capable,\u201d which is where Alexa slots in.<\/p>\n \u201cI think some of the advantages Alexa has is the familiarity of customers, the tens of millions of customers already engaging continuously,\u201d Rausch said. \u201cIt\u2019s in the home, ambiently available, in voice, in the most natural interface. I do believe that that\u2019s our opportunity to grow,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Techcrunch event<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSan Francisco<\/span> Alexa\u2019s plans for the home come as Apple announced it\u2019s teaming up with Google\u2019s Gemini for Siri,<\/a> as other AI chatbots, like ChatGPT and Claude, compete across a variety of use cases ranging from research to healthcare to coding<\/a> and more. <\/p>\n Just ahead of CES, Amazon announced a way to access Alexa on the web and a redesigned Alexa app that puts a chatbot-style interface front and center. At the conference, Amazon partners like Samsung, BMW, and Oura<\/a> showed off their Alexa integrations.<\/p>\n The company also promoted its recent acquisition of Bee, an AI wearable that lets you record conversations and gain insights. Customers can engage with Bee via text or voice chat.<\/p>\n In the future, Rausch says Alexa and Bee will become more integrated. But, he added, Bee has value as its own standalone brand, calling it a \u201can important and lovable experience.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOctober 13-15, 2026<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n