Amazon wants more powerful Alexa, potentially with monthly fees: Reports

A new version of Amazon's Alexa could soon be available.

Reuters, citing people with "direct knowledge of the company's plans," reports Amazon is planning a "major revamp of its decade-old money-losing Alexa service" to include a conversational generative AI with two tiers of service.

The company is also considering a monthly fee of around $5 to access the better version, Reuters reports.

Amazon has named the newer Alexa "Remarkable Alexa," according to Reuters, and would represent the first overhaul of the service since its introduction in 2014.

Reuters said it spoke with eight current and former employees who worked on Alexa and who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they "were not authorized to discuss confidential products."

Three of those people said Amazon is pushing workers toward a deadline of August to have the upgraded Alexa ready and noted that CEO Andy Jassy has taken a "personal interest in seeing Alexa reinvigorated."

“Our vision for Alexa remains the same—to build the world’s best personal assistant. Generative AI offers a huge opportunity to make Alexa even better for our customers," Amazon said in an emailed statement to USA TODAY.

"We have already integrated generative AI into different components of Alexa, and are working hard on implementation at scale—in the over half a billion ambient, Alexa-enabled devices already in homes around the world—to enable even more proactive, personal, and trusted assistance for our customers. We are excited about what we’re building and look forward to delivering it for our customers,” the statement reads.  

Amazon ditches air pillows:Amazon announces 'largest reduction in plastic packaging,' doing away with air pillows

Amazon previously announced improvements to Alexa

In September 2023, the company said on its website that generative AI was bringing its "north star for Alexa" within reach.

Daniel Rausch, Vice President of Alexa and Fire TV, said in a blog post the company was "previewing a new large language model and a suite of conversational AI capabilities that will help deliver an even more intuitive, intelligent, and useful Alexa."

Rausch writes in the blog post that the "more conversational" Alexa is based on a "new large language model" custom-built and optimized for voice interactions.

Also in September 2023, departing Amazon executive Dave Limp told Bloomberg he thinks there will be a time when Alexa won't be free.

"Yes, we absolutely think that," Limp said. "But before we would start charging customers for this – and I believe we will – it has to be remarkable. It has to prove the utilty that you're coming to expect from the 'superhuman' assistant," he added.

Jassy also mentioned the planned improvements to Alexa in his 2023 letter to shareholders, which was sent out on April 11, 2024, referring to it as "an even more intelligent and capable Alexa."

Amazon announces reduction in plastic packaging

Amazon announced Thursday it is changing how it boxes packages, swapping out plastic air pillows with recycled paper, a move the company says is more eco-friendly and will provide just as much protection, "if not better."

The change is part of a multi-year plan to remove plastic delivery packaging from fulfillment centers in North America. 

The company says replacing the roughly 15 billion plastic air pillows used every year with recycled paper is the "largest reduction in plastic packaging in North America to date."

Amazon aims to “fully remove” plastic air pillows in packages by the end of the year, according to Pat Lindner, vice president of mechatronics and sustainable packaging. He adds that most, if not all, packages ordered and delivered on Prime Day in July will be packed with paper filler. 

"We want to ensure that customers receive their items undamaged, while using as little packaging as possible to avoid waste, and prioritizing recyclable materials," Amazon said in a news release.

Contributing: Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY

Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at Gdhauari@gannett.com.