Yesterday, Reuters published an article titled “Weeks after Amazon’s Alexa+ AI launch, a mystery: where are the users?” This report highlighted the challenges in finding first-hand accounts of the new AI-enhanced assistants’ usage online. In response, The Verge reached out to Amazon for clarification regarding the availability of Alexa Plus, leading to a strong rebuttal from the company.
Amazon spokesperson Eric Sveum provided a detailed response to The Verge, stating, “It’s simply wrong to say that Alexa+ isn’t available to customers—that assertion is false.” He emphasized that hundreds of thousands of customers already have access to Alexa Plus, and the company is actively inviting more users who have requested early access.
Sveum also included a screenshot of the expected email invitation for users, further asserting the product’s availability. Alexa Plus is the generative AI-enhanced version of Amazon's popular voice assistant, which was announced in February. It is available for free to Amazon Prime subscribers or for a subscription fee of $19.99 per month for non-Prime users.
While Reuters did not claim that Alexa Plus is unavailable, it did quote an analyst expressing skepticism about its user base. The analyst noted, “There seems to be no one who actually has it.” The news outlet reported its efforts to locate actual users of Alexa Plus, which yielded no results. Their investigation included searches across numerous platforms—such as news sites, YouTube, TikTok, X, BlueSky, Instagram, Facebook, and even Amazon’s Twitch channel—yet they could not find definitive evidence of real-world users.
Despite these challenges, Reuters spoke with two individuals on Reddit who claimed to have used Alexa Plus, but their identities could not be verified, and they did not provide substantial proof to support their claims.
In a contrasting report, Engadget revealed that a new wave of emails inviting users to participate in the Alexa Plus program had been sent out on Friday. The outlet reiterated Amazon’s statement that hundreds of thousands of customers have indeed tried the updated assistant.
Amazon initially began rolling out its early access program to select customers at the end of March. At that time, some features were still in development, including the ability to order takeout via Grubhub using conversational context and recognizing family members for reminders about tasks. A dedicated page on Amazon's website indicates that certain features are still “coming soon,” such as web browser access to Alexa Plus and compatibility with Fire TV or Amazon tablets.
Furthermore, Amazon has indicated that priority for new users will be given to those who own specific Echo Show devices, suggesting a strategic rollout plan for the updated assistant.
