What Happened
Wired published a hands-on review of Amazon's Alexa+ after spending a full month with the AI-powered assistant on an Echo Show 15 in a real kitchen. The verdict is blunt: things have not gone well.
Alexa+ is Amazon's attempt to bring large language model capabilities to its voice assistant lineup, competing directly with the AI features rolling out in Google Home and Apple's Siri. Amazon has positioned this as the future of the Echo platform, integrating conversational AI that should theoretically handle more complex, multi-step requests than the old keyword-matching Alexa.
The review found that basic reliability remains a serious problem. Alexa has always struggled with context and follow-up questions, and bolting an LLM onto the existing infrastructure hasn't solved those fundamental issues. The Echo Show 15 hardware itself isn't the problem - it's the software layer where things fall apart.
Amazon initially launched Alexa+ as part of its push to make the Echo ecosystem competitive against ChatGPT's voice mode and Google's Gemini-powered assistant. The company has been under pressure to show that its massive investment in Alexa can actually generate returns, especially after years of the division reportedly operating at a loss.
Why It Matters
If you're evaluating AI assistants for daily productivity, the voice-first form factor matters. A lot of people bought into the Echo ecosystem expecting it to get smarter over time. Alexa+ was supposed to be that leap.
The fact that a month-long real-world test produced disappointing results tells us something important: slapping an LLM onto an existing voice platform is harder than it looks. Google is facing similar growing pains with Gemini in Home devices. Apple hasn't even shipped its equivalent yet.
For anyone choosing between dedicated AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini on your phone) and ambient AI assistants (Echo, Nest, HomePod), the gap is widening. The standalone AI apps are improving monthly. The hardware-embedded assistants are still fighting their own legacy architecture.
Our Take
We've been tracking this pattern across the industry: established hardware platforms trying to retrofit LLM capabilities are consistently underdelivering compared to purpose-built AI chat tools. Amazon's problem isn't the AI model itself - it's the decade of Alexa infrastructure that wasn't designed for open-ended conversation.
If you need a voice AI assistant that actually works reliably today, ChatGPT's voice mode on your phone outperforms any smart speaker on the market. It's not even close. The smart speaker form factor is appealing, but the software isn't there yet.
Our advice: don't pay a premium for Alexa+ expecting ChatGPT-level intelligence in your kitchen. Use the free Alexa for timers and music, and use a real AI assistant on your phone for anything that requires actual reasoning. Wait for Amazon to prove this works before committing.