Amazon revealed at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that 97 percent of all devices it has shipped can support its upgraded AI assistant, Alexa+.
Daniel Rausch, vice president of Alexa and Echo, shared the figure during an interview at CES. He stated Amazon has sold more than 600 million devices worldwide, with the vast majority compatible with Alexa+. “Ninety-seven percent of devices we ever shipped can support Alexa+,” Rausch noted.
Alexa+ represents Amazon’s push into generative AI, announced early last year. It features more expressive voices, access to world knowledge like other AI assistants, and AI agents capable of handling tasks such as ordering food or calling an Uber.
Amazon began rolling out Alexa+ last year. By the end of June, more than 1 million Alexa customers had access. Currently, tens of millions of users can opt in to upgrade to the AI assistant.
The company has not announced a specific date for universal availability. Amazon plans to prioritize Prime members during the rollout.
Rausch highlighted Alexa’s advantages in a competitive market. He described Alexa as a foundational AI assistant amid a range of specialized AIs, such as those focused on legal tasks. “I think that there’s going to be a whole range of AI out there for customers. I think that Alexa will be one of the foundational assistants,” he said.
Alexa benefits from its widespread presence in homes, ambient voice interface, and continuous engagement with tens of millions of customers. “I think some of the advantages Alexa has is the familiarity of customers, the tens of millions of customers already engaging continuously,” Rausch said. “It’s in the home, ambiently available, in voice, in the most natural interface. I do believe that that’s our opportunity to grow,” he added.
Amazon aims to leverage its existing device footprint and customer familiarity with the Alexa brand to position the assistant effectively.
