Last Updated: September 28, 2023, 17:54 IST
Amazon is bringing AI features to Alexa which could make it costly to run
Alexa AI was introduced at the event this week which should the evolution of the voice assistant and behave more human-like.
Amazon showcased its AI repertoire at the Devices event this week but it goes without saying that Generative AI was the hot word throughout the keynote session. The company is understandably working on new solutions via Alexa that will have AI smarts to cater to the consumers.
And it is being suggested that Amazon could eventually decide to charge for its Alexa AI assistant in the coming years. Amazon has not directly talked about its plans for the future but the outgoing executive, Dave Limp hinted at the prospect of Alexa becoming a paid feature in an interview with Bloomberg.
Building AI applications comes at a cost and tech companies realise they need to invest heavily to make these machine-learning models a success and become useful to consumers. And that cost is likely to be included in the value that a consumer pays to acquire the device and the service.
It is not clear as to how Amazon would justify putting a fee on Alexa to its customers, especially when its rivals are able to offer similar applications for free. However, the strategy to make people pay for Alexa could be another way for the company to monetise the business, which has primarily relied on the money spent by developers for building skills on Alexa.
With generative AI at the forefront of the industry, developers would have a keen eye on companies like Amazon and Google, and how they decide to operate and connect with the community to make applications that have real-life use cases. Amazon did showcase some of its paid services at the event, which includes the emergency alerts that work through the Echo speakers.
So, how soon can you expect the superhuman Alexa AI to be available in the market? As we said, the company has not officially shared any plans for such a service and definitely has not mentioned the fact that Alexa will become a paid service, eventually.
To be fair, they don’t even have a pricing tier outlined which could suggest the availability could be sooner than we imagine. Even then, now that we know that the company has thought in this direction, it is better to keep a close eye on how the next chapter of Alexa unfolds in the years to come.
Amazon AI assistant, Alexa, may become a paid feature in the future. While Amazon has not officially announced its plans, hints from outgoing executive Dave Limp suggest the possibility. Charging for Alexa may be a way for Amazon to monetize its business, which has relied heavily on developers building skills for Alexa. This move would also account for the costs associated with developing AI applications. However, it remains uncertain how Amazon would justify the fee, considering that competitors offer similar applications for free. As generative AI gains prominence, developers will closely watch Amazon and other companies to see how they operate and connect with the community to create useful applications. Although there is no official timeline for the paid service, keeping an eye on Alexa’s evolution would be wise.
S Aadeetya, a Special Correspondent at News18 Tech, has been a part of the media for 10 years.
