With the rise of AI assistants like ChatGPT and Google's Gemini, Amazon is working on a relaunch of its Alexa voice assistant with revamped AI features

According to a new report from the Washington Post, Alexa AI will return in October with several new features, but it comes with a small pitfall The upgraded Alexa Plus will reportedly “cost as much as $10 a month,” and the current version of Alexa will be reborn as “Classic Alexa”

The Post claims to have obtained “internal documents” revealing potential subscriptions and some new features

Apparently the price and subscription structure are not final, as Amazon reportedly plans to “finalize pricing, subscription structure, and product names” this month

This comes amid a summer of reports that Amazon is struggling to update Alexa and its Echo speaker Allegedly, Amazon has lost billions on Alexa and its smart speakers; in June, it was reported that the Alexa 20 AI was not ready

At the time, it was claimed that Amazon was “an organization plagued by structural dysfunction and technical challenges that have repeatedly delayed shipments of Alexa with the new generative AI” Overall, the former employees paint a picture of a company that has fallen hopelessly behind rivals Google, Microsoft, and Meta in the race to launch AI chatbots and agents and is faltering in its efforts to catch up”

At the same time, it was reported in late June that Amazon is working internally on a new chatbot dubbed “Metis” It is unclear if this potential AI chatbot will be integrated into the new Alexa

The new Alexa will be able to recognize a customer's individual voice and learn about that person by asking questions Like many chatbot assistants, Alexa will reportedly be more conversational and “charismatic” than traditional Alexa

Alexa already has a voice ID, but this appears to be an extension of that feature

The big AI feature appears to be something called “Smart Briefing” This tool delivers “daily” summaries of “AI-generated news articles,” with the type of article “selected based on customer preferences”

It remains to be seen how accurate this feature will be, especially in an election year when it needs to be clear and accurate

Internal documents state that “AI capabilities to help customers curate, summarize, and explore current events were also evaluated as one of the top customer requests”

Additionally, Alexa 20 will assist with recipe searches and collaborate on dietary restrictions According to the leaked document, recipe help was one of the “top three areas where customers wanted more help It remains to be seen if Alexa will tell you to eat glue, as Google's AI overview does

A shopping scout will be added to get people to shop at Amazon using Alexa Using conversational language, they can ask, “Do you have a great deal on headphones?” or “What color shoes do you have?” and other questions It will also tell you when something you see is on sale

Perhaps the most controversial new feature is a shopping assistant that Amazon apparently hopes will “prove compelling to children”

Posts reports that the leaked document introduces a new experience called “Explore with Alexa 20,” which will let “verified” children have “exploratory conversations back and forth with Alexa about every topic under the sun”

The company says it will let them

At first glance, the experience seems to be “safe and moderate,” but experts are divided on whether smart speakers are good for children

Leaked documents suggest that the new experience, called “Explore with Alexa 20,” will allow authenticated children to have “exploratory conversations with Alexa back and forth about every topic under the sun”

Finally, Amazon also appears to be launching a web UI version of Alexa for the first time This version of Alexa is intended to compete directly with ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot