Amazon eyes ads and upcharges for Alexa Plus

In less surprising news for this week, Amazon Andy Jassy CEO has revealed that the company explores ways to bring ads to Alexa Plus, its new generation vocal aid. During a phone call after the company’s profit report in the second quarter, Jassi said that “there will be opportunities, because people participate in more multiple conversations [with Alexa Plus]The advertisement plays a role to help people find the discovery, and also a revenue lever. “

Basically, people will talk more to Alexa, so there will be more ways to pay ads on them. He also hinted that Alexa Plus, is currently current for Prime members but will cost $ 19.99 a month without Prime, can cost her more. While we continue to add jobs [there] “It can be a kind of subscription element behind what is today,” he said.

Given that the Amazon devices and services section, which includes Alexa and Echo, has fought to earn money, Jassy is looking for ways to make the new hot thing, Alexa Plus, more profitable. The imposition of fees on non -sidewalks may seem $ 20 per month as one way. But who will pay $ 20 when you can spend $ 15 for Prime and get Alexa Plus, as well as all the initial advantages?

The advertisement is the clear path, as ads are already on Amazon Echo devices with regular Alexa on board. This full screen includes the Echo Show smart displays that appear randomly and cannot be chosen.

Another way to pay Alexa Ads with the “Way Way” feature, which corresponds to suggestions to respond after you asked for something. You often encourage you to buy something from Amazon.

When Amazon announced Alexa Plus in February, I asked the president Devices & Services Panos Panay if it was “by the way” and ads on the full -committed screen. “I don’t think much of these changes,” he said, adding that advertising forms on devices like Echos are designed to maintain costs with customers.

Alexa Plus has been tested for a few weeks so far and has not seen any advertisements or received any “way”. But the assistant is still in an experimental stage for early access, and it seems that the plan is that these new Alexa will come in new ways to pay ads. But I really hope so.

Regarding what it might seem, in 2022, Amazon said it has developed agents asking Alexa that would allow brands to provide their own answers to the questions posed by Alexa, such as “How can I remove pet hair from my carpet?” Alexa Plus, with his characters, will be more useful, an ideal platform for this type of result. But this will not cut it if Amazon succeeds in making Alexa as well as “the best personal assistant in the world”, which is the declared Jassy goal. Why does anyone choose to use an auxiliary to pay to pay specific products?

It can be one of the highest levels of Alexa Plus Jassy to which a copy of the ads has glimpse, such as Techcrunch Expected for the first time. This amazon exactly used the Prime Video, which created a higher price, an ads free and quit anyone else to ads. But in both cases, Alexa will really have to prove its value if we will pay the price of its new capabilities.

Based on my first test for Alexa Plus, not at a point where I can delegate my daily tasks and household chores, and I will do if I can employ a real personal assistant. But the capabilities exist.

There is no doubt that the IQ of the Wooily will turn how we use digital sound aides, and that Amazon has a beginning. She has already launched her renewed help with more natural language capabilities, which does not seem to Apple or Google is about to do. Alexa Plus is also one of the few service on behalf that can take action in real life.

Whether people will be ready to push artificial intelligence features still being tested. Openai, Google, Anthropic and others currently impose different levels of access to the most advanced AI-Catbot tools. As a Alexa user for many years, I will think about paying a price truly Good Alexa who does what I ask without failing, are all the features that Amazon promised to come, and never shows me an advertisement. However, what I know with certainty that I do not want, is AI AI who pays products in my home.