Amazon Says Alexa+ Works on Almost Every Device It Sells

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas last week, Amazon offered a closer look at how it plans to position Alexa+ in the competitive AI landscape. The company intends to leverage its massive installed device base and consumers’ existing familiarity with the Alexa brand.

Alexa+ Compatibility Across Devices

“Ninety-seven percent of devices we ever shipped can support Alexa+,” said Daniel Rausch, VP of Amazon Alexa and Echo, in an interview at CES. With over 600 million devices sold, the vast majority are now compatible with the company’s revamped generative AI assistant.

What Alexa+ Brings to the Table

Launched early last year, Alexa+ is Amazon’s next-generation AI platform. Key features include:

More expressive voices
Access to world knowledge is similar to other AI assistants
AI agents capable of performing tasks on behalf of the user, such as calling an Uber or ordering food

The rollout has been gradual. By last June, over 1 million Alexa customers had access, and now tens of millions can opt in for the AI upgrade. The company is prioritizing Prime members before a full public launch.

Leveraging Alexa’s Existing Footprint

Rausch emphasized that Alexa’s existing presence in homes gives it an advantage over competitors.

“I think Alexa will be one of the foundational assistants,” he said. “While specialist AIs will always exist, there will be a few highly capable, widely recognized AI platforms, and Alexa is positioned to be one of them.”

Alexa’s strengths, according to Rausch, include:

Familiarity with tens of millions of users
Ambient availability in homes
Voice as a natural interface

Competing in a Crowded AI Market

Amazon’s AI strategy comes amid broader competition:

Apple is teaming up with Google’s Gemini for Siri
Chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude compete across research, healthcare, coding, and more

Amazon recently introduced a web-based Alexa and a redesigned Alexa app featuring a chatbot-style interface. At CES, partners like Samsung, BMW, and Oura showcased their own Alexa integrations.

Expanding Beyond the Home with Bee

Amazon also highlighted its acquisition of Bee, an AI wearable that allows users to record conversations and gain insights. Bee can be interacted with via text or voice chat, and Rausch noted that it will eventually integrate more closely with Alexa.

Despite the future integration, Bee is positioned as a standalone brand with its own value. Rausch called it “an important and lovable experience.”