In a bid to compete with the globally popular AI chatbot ChatGPT, e-commerce giant Amazon is reportedly enhancing Alexa’s capabilities by allowing it to remember details about users, like a close friend or family member does.
This vision for Alexa, Amazon’s virtual assistant, was developed by Amazon executives at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2026) in Las Vegas earlier this month.
The company is rekindling excitement over Alexa, which debuted in 2014 as a user-friendly voice assistant.
How Amazon’s Alexa Lost to ChatGPT in 2022
As the virtual assistant grew in popularity and increased interest in voice technology, the launch of ChatGPT in 2022 was a game-changer, forcing Amazon to rethink its strategy.
In 2023, Amazon announced plans to make Alexa a more personal and conversational assistant, after which it launched Alexa+ last year. But real testimonials are lacking so far, and to do that, Amazon needs to show that Alexa+ can deliver an improved experience over the standard version.
Panos Panay, Amazon’s head of devices and services, noted that while many users enjoy basic functions like turning on coffee makers, transformative experiences come from a holistic understanding of context.
The recently launched Alexa website mimics interactive platforms developed by OpenAI and startup Perplexity, allowing users to chat with Alexa online and continue those conversations across devices.
How Alexa+ competes with Google’s ChatGPT and Gemini
Panay highlighted Alexa’s exceptional ability to remember user preferences and execute tasks in no time. For example, when asking about dog harnesses, Alexa had options ready on her Echo Show when she returned.
This personal touch sets Alexa apart from competitors like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini.
