Amazon Event 2025-02-26 Live Blog & later comments

[Quoth]

Live blog here
https://www.t3.com/live/news/amazon-...ai-launch-2025

[Quoth]

So far mostly about Alexa+ (first hour?)

[Frogm4n]

Alexa+ will be $19.99/mo, but free for Prime members.

[Quoth]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Alexa

I'd need to be paid more than $19.99 / mo and get more than free Prime to be having Alexa in the house.

Seems like this PR really is just about Alexa. Why does it need support staff of about 10,000 people?

[salamanderjuice]

Originally Posted by Quoth

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Alexa

I'd need to be paid more than $19.99 / mo and get more than free Prime to be having Alexa in the house.

Seems like this PR really is just about Alexa. Why does it need support staff of about 10,000 people?

Alexa is pretty popular. And pretty dumb, so it kind of makes sense of having an announcement for making it "smart" (although probably dumb in different ways tbh). It seemed pretty obvious this event was mainly going to be about Alexa since well, the invitation images spelt out Alexa.

[jhowell]

Here is the announcement from Amazon.

Meet Alexa+, our next-generation AI assistant that gets things done

Introducing Alexa+, our next-generation assistant, powered by generative AI. Alexa+ helps you stay organized during busy days, provides detailed answers tailored to your needs, and handles everything from project planning to solving daily challenges—all through natural conversation. Here are a few core aspects of Alexa+:

• Conversational: Alexa+ engages in natural, flowing conversations that feel genuine. It understands context and meaning, creating seamless interactions with no need for precise “Alexa” language.
• Personalized: Alexa+ learns from you and the more you use it, the more personalized it gets— understanding everything from your favorite entertainment to your family’s dietary preferences, allergies, and weekly traditions.
• Gets things done: Alexa+ acts on your behalf, handling everything from date planning and gift shopping to travel arrangements and study help. From simple tasks to complex projects, it provides assistance you can trust.
• Even smarter: Alexa+ combines vast knowledge with an approachable personality, making generative AI feel natural and accessible. Helpful intelligence ready whenever and wherever you need it.

You can also use Alexa+ basically anywhere you want, from your favorite Echo devices and the Alexa mobile app to an all-new web browser experience. Alexa+ will remember the context of your conversations so that you can seamlessly pick up where you left off as you go about your day.

Alexa+ costs $19.99 per month, but all Amazon Prime members will get it for free. Alexa+ is the newest Prime benefit, building on the tremendous value members were already enjoying.

One thing I see no mention of is safeguarding the privacy of all of the personal information that Alexa+ will be gathering from you and your family.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by jhowell

One thing I see no mention of is safeguarding the privacy of all of the personal information that Alexa+ will be gathering from you and your family.

Was there ever any mention of such a thing with the garden-variety Alexa? Most people with privacy concerns wouldn't touch the original version, why would they be interested in the new version?

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Was there ever any mention of such a thing with the garden-variety Alexa? Most people with privacy concerns wouldn't touch the original version, why would they be interested in the new version?

100% with you.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by salamanderjuice

Alexa is pretty popular. And pretty dumb, so it kind of makes sense of having an announcement for making it "smart" (although probably dumb in different ways tbh).

I'm sure we could have fun listing very popular things that are very dumb, and sometimes pretty, even to more than 500 milli Helens.

They may be using one for CS now?

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Quoth

So far mostly about Alexa+ (first hour?)

It was strictly about Alexa Plus. That's what I gleaned from recent tech news sources. I followed TechRadar's live blog to see if there'd be any surprises like new devices and to see what Amazon was gonna charge.

A year and a half ago, speculation was $5 to $10 a month. I was shocked to see them finally announce $20 a month. I was somewhat surprised to see it included for free with Prime. Now I wonder if Amazon will increase the cost of Prime. It's been 3 years since the last increase.

[ucfgrad93]

Thanks, but no thanks, Amazon. I'll pass.

[Graham44]

Coming to your home soon, the all new intelligent Amazon spy.

Conversational - Alexa+ engages in natural, flowing conversations that feel genuine. We can use that to mimic your voice, sign you up to services you didn't ask for and then use a simulation of your voice to prove you did ask for it!

Personalized: Alexa+ learns from you and the more you use it, the more personalized it gets— understanding everything from your favorite entertainment to your family’s dietary preferences, allergies, and weekly traditions. The more you use Alexa+ the more and more data we can steal of yours, but wait not just yours but anybodies that is within range of Alexa+, but wait we hear you cry you already did that with Alexa! yes friends you are right we did but Alexa+ is much more efficient so you get to give up much more of your private conversations and data!

Gets things done: Alexa+ acts on your behalf, handling everything from date planning and gift shopping to travel arrangements and study help. From simple tasks to complex projects, it provides assistance you can trust. Oh sorry did we say you can trust? Silly us that was a typo, what we meant was you can now allow Alexa+ to act on your behalf, it provides assistance you cant trust, but you bought Alexa so hey you don't want to think for yourself anyway do you? Oh and we cant be held liable when Alexa+ acts on your behalf because she heard you say you wish someone would sort out Bob at work.

Even smarter: Alexa+ combines vast knowledge with an approachable personality, making generative AI feel natural and accessible. Helpful intelligence ready whenever and wherever you need it. Thats right we've made Alexa+ even better at scraping and stealing data from other websites, and her answers will sound so lifelike you can definitely trust the information she is giving you, honestly it's fine you're perfectly safe pouring that boiling water into your ear to clear the wax out would someone as approachable as Alexa+ lie to you?

Oh come on, you want to blame us for Bobs unfortunate 'accident', the three hundred dollar a month adult bookstore subscription you apparently didn't ring up and subscribe to and that fact you melted your ear drum on us?? You're the one that listened to a little black box with pretty flashing lights!

[John F]

Originally Posted by Graham44

Coming to your home soon, the all new intelligent Amazon spy.

Conversational - Alexa+ engages in natural, flowing conversations that feel genuine. We can use that to mimic your voice, sign you up to services you didn't ask for and then use a simulation of your voice to prove you did ask for it!

...

Since you are using we I take it that you are a Amazon developer.

[JSWolf]

I'll be eligible for Amazon+ when it comes out. We do have Prime ans an Alexa (full version). I think our dot's are also eligible as they are not the 1st gen models.

[DiapDealer]

I have Prime, but I'm not sure any of the devices I have will qualify. Early testing seems to be limited to Echo Show devices. If it stays that way, I'll not be spending that kind of money to buy in. I don't want/need an Echo Show.

I'm not worried about any new privacy aspects. There's really nothing new they can gather that they couldn't already gather from all my older Alexa enabled devices. If I was worried about privacy, I wouldn't let anything I own connect to the internet. I can have privacy, or I can use the internet. I wholeheartedly choose the latter.