On Tuesday, Reuters published an article entitled “Weeks after Amazon’s Alexa+ AI launch, a mystery: where are the users?” The piece highlighted the challenge of finding actual user experiences related to the newly enhanced AI assistants online. In response, Technology News reached out to Amazon for clarification, and the company disputed claims regarding the unavailability of the Alexa Plus feature.
Amazon spokesperson Eric Sveum provided a robust statement via email to Technology News, addressing the assertions made in the article.
To claim that Alexa+ is not available to customers is simply incorrect. Hundreds of thousands of users already have access to Alexa+, and we are continuously inviting additional customers who have requested Early Access.
Along with the statement, Sveum included a screenshot intended to show what the email invitation for Alexa Plus access looks like.
Alexa Plus represents Amazon’s advanced generative AI enhancement to its Alexa voice assistant, which was announced in February. It is available at no cost for Amazon Prime subscribers, while other users can access it for a fee of $19.99 per month.
While Reuters did not outright state that Alexa Plus is unavailable, it cited an analyst who remarked, “There seems to be no one who actually has it.”
Furthermore, the publication noted its unsuccessful attempts to identify any real-world Alexa Plus users. It reported, “We searched dozens of news sites, YouTube, TikTok, X, BlueSky, and Meta’s Instagram and Facebook, along with Amazon’s Twitch and user reviews on Amazon.com.” During this investigation, two Reddit users claimed to have tried the new feature, but they could not provide solid proof, and their identities were not verifiable by the outlet.
However, Engadget reported today that Amazon sent out a new batch of emails on Friday, inviting users to explore Alexa Plus features. An Amazon spokesperson indicated that “hundreds of thousands” of users have already had the opportunity to test the assistant.
The early access program commenced towards the end of March, although it initially lacked certain functionalities, including the ability to place takeout orders through Grubhub via conversational prompts and the capacity to recognize family members for reminders about chores. According to Amazon’s website, some features are still anticipated to be released soon, including web browser access and compatibility with Fire TV and Amazon tablets. Currently, priority for access is being given to users of specific Echo Show devices.
