During Amazon’s Q3 2024 earnings call, CEO Andy Jassy teased the development of a more advanced, “agentic” version of the Alexa assistant that would be capable of taking actions on behalf of users

He explained that future iterations of these assistants and generative AI applications will enhance their ability not only to answer questions and aggregate information but also to perform tasks autonomously. “You can envision us excelling in that area with Alexa,” Jassy remarked.

He further mentioned that Amazon is in the process of significantly updating Alexa’s underlying architecture, with new foundational models expected to be announced soon.

Since announcing its plans to integrate generative AI into Alexa last year, Amazon has faced technical hurdles and is reportedly transitioning to using Anthropic’s models for the assistant. Notably, Amazon has invested heavily in Anthropic. During the redesign phase, the upgraded Alexa faced issues, such as delays of up to six seconds when responding to commands and difficulties with basic tasks like activating smart lights.

Internally dubbed “Remarkable Alexa,” the new version is anticipated to be available for a subscription fee of $5 to $10 per month, with a more limited free option also provided. Although initial reports suggested a launch date in October, it appears that the release has been postponed, with Bloomberg indicating a new timeline extending into 2025.

Despite being integrated into more than 500 million devices globally, Alexa has not significantly impacted Amazon’s financial performance. According to The Wall Street Journal, the company has incurred losses amounting to tens of billions in its devices division since 2017.