{"id":15411,"date":"2025-08-01T23:12:23","date_gmt":"2025-08-01T23:12:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/demo4.dedicatedhost247.com\/newstime\/amazon-eyes-ads-and-upcharges-for-alexa-plus\/"},"modified":"2025-08-01T23:12:23","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T23:12:23","slug":"amazon-eyes-ads-and-upcharges-for-alexa-plus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demo4.dedicatedhost247.com\/newstime\/amazon-eyes-ads-and-upcharges-for-alexa-plus\/","title":{"rendered":"Amazon eyes ads and upcharges for Alexa Plus"},"content":{"rendered":"


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In the week\u2019s least surprising news, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy revealed that the company is exploring ways to bring ads to Alexa Plus, its new generative-AI-powered voice assistant<\/a>. During a conference call<\/a> following the company\u2019s second-quarter earnings report, Jassy said that \u201cthere will be opportunities, as people are engaging in more multiturn conversations [with Alexa Plus], to have advertising play a role to help people find discovery, and also as a lever to drive revenue.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Basically, people will talk more to Alexa, so there will be more ways to push ads at them. He also hinted that Alexa Plus, which is currently free for Prime members but will cost $19.99 a month without Prime, could one day cost more. \u201cAs we keep adding functionality [there] could be some sort of subscription element beyond what there is today,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Considering Amazon\u2019s Devices & Services division, which includes Alexa and Echo, has reportedly struggled to make money<\/a>, Jassy is looking for ways to make its hot new thing, Alexa Plus, more profitable. Charging non-Prime members $20 a month may sound like one way. But who\u2019s going to pay $20 when you can spend $15 for Prime and get Alexa Plus, plus all the Prime benefits?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Advertising is the obvious path, as ads already exist on Amazon Echo devices with regular Alexa on board. These include full-screen ones on Echo Show smart displays that appear randomly and can\u2019t be opted out of.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Another way Alexa pushes ads is with its \u201cBy the way\u201d feature, which tacks on suggestions to a response after you\u2019ve asked something. These often involve encouraging you to buy something from Amazon.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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When Amazon announced Alexa Plus<\/a> back in February, I asked head of Devices & Services Panos Panay if \u201cBy the way\u201d and full-screen ads would stick around. \u201cI don\u2019t think a lot of that changes,\u201d he said, adding that advertising models on devices like Echos are designed to keep the costs down for customers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I\u2019ve been testing Alexa Plus<\/a> for a few weeks now and haven\u2019t seen any ads or received any \u201cBy the ways.\u201d But the assistant is still in an Early Access beta phase, and it sounds like the plan is that this new Alexa will come with new ways to push ads. But I really wish it wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The new Alexa Plus had burgeoning agentic abilities, including being able to navigate websites like Thumbtack to find an electrician.<\/em><\/figcaption>Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy \/ The Verge<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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In terms of what that might look like, back in 2022, Amazon said it had developed a Customers Ask Alexa feature<\/a> that would allow brands to submit their own answers to questions people asked Alexa, such as \u201cHow can I remove pet hair from my carpet?\u201d Alexa Plus, with its chattier, more helpful persona, would be an ideal platform to deliver this type of sponsored result. But that won\u2019t cut it if Amazon is going to succeed in making Alexa Plus the \u201cWorld\u2019s best personal assistant,\u201d which is Jassy\u2019s stated goal. Why would anyone choose to use an assistant that is getting paid to push specific products?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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One of those higher tiers for Alexa Plus Jassy hinted at could be an ad-free version, as TechCrunch<\/em> first speculated<\/a>. Amazon did exactly this with Prime Video, creating a higher price, ad-free tier<\/a> and booting everyone else to ads. But either way, Alexa will really have to prove its worth if we\u2019re going to pay for its new capabilities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Based on my initial testing of Alexa Plus, it\u2019s not at a point where I can delegate my daily tasks and chores<\/a> to it, as I would do if I could ever afford to hire a real personal assistant. But the potential is there.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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There\u2019s no doubt that generative AI is going to transform how we use digital voice assistants<\/a>, and Amazon has a head start. It has actually launched its revamped assistant with more conversational natural language abilities, something neither Apple nor Google seems close to doing. Alexa Plus is also one of the few generative AI-powered services that can take actions in real life.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Whether people will be willing to pay for AI features is still being tested. OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and others currently charge for different tiers of access to their more advanced AI-chatbot tools. As an Alexa user for many years, I\u2019d consider paying for a really<\/em> good Alexa that does what I ask without fail, has all the features Amazon has promised are coming, and never shows me an ad. However, what I know for sure that I don\u2019t want, is a chattier AI pushing products at me in my home.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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