What you need to know

• According to a leak, Amazon is working on a revamped Alexa that will be powered by AI.
• The new Alexa requires a paid subscription, which can cost up to $10 per month.
• The expected launch date of the new Alexa is October this year, but plans can always change.
• The new Alexa will include features such as ‘Smart Briefing’, which uses AI to generate summaries of news articles based on a person’s interests.

Microsoft’s Copilot and Google’s Gemini may soon be getting a new competitor from another tech giant. Amazon is reportedly working on a revamped Alexa that will create AI-generated news summaries and help people with everyday tasks using the power of AI. The new Alexa, known internally as “Remarkable Alexa” or “Project Banyan,” is set to launch in October 2024, according to internal documents obtained and reported by The Washington Post.

Unlike the current Alexa, the new Alexa is said to have a subscription price of as much as $10 per month. That fee could help offset the costs of developing and maintaining Alexa. Earlier this year, when reports of an AI-powered Alexa first surfaced, it was revealed that Amazon’s devices division lost $25 billion between 2017 and 2021. Those reports were shared alongside alleged misgivings from Amazon employees about a paid version of Alexa.