Amazon is rolling out its AI-powered Alexa+ assistant to all compatible Fire TV devices in the U.S. for free, removing the previous $19.99 monthly subscription for non-Prime members. The update includes conversational search, smart home controls, and AI-driven recommendations.
Amazon's decision to offer its advanced AI assistant for free on Fire TV democratizes access to sophisticated AI features for a broader consumer base, potentially increasing user engagement with smart home controls and content discovery while intensifying competition in the smart TV and AI assistant market.
Amazon is making its advanced AI assistant, Alexa+, available for free on all compatible Fire TV devices in the United States, removing a previous $19.99 monthly subscription fee for customers without an Amazon Prime membership. The company announced the change on Wednesday, stating that the upgrade will be automatic for all users.
Alexa+ offers enhanced features such as conversational search, allowing users to request content based on themes, age, or popularity rather than specific titles. It also provides smart home control capabilities, including displaying Ring camera feeds on the TV. This move by Amazon follows a wider industry trend where tech companies are integrating AI services into consumer electronic devices, often as standard features.
Competitors like Google have already integrated their AI, Gemini, into the Google TV platform, and Roku upgraded its voice assistant to AI last year. Amazon reports that users with Alexa+ engage in nearly twice as many conversations on Fire TV compared to the original Alexa, suggesting increased user interaction with the AI features.