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Amazon recently shared that its AI assistant Alexa+ will soon be available for free on all compatible Fire TV devices in the US, regardless of whether users have a Prime membership.
The upgrade adds conversational search, smart home controls and AI-driven recommendations to the streaming platform. Previously, Alexa+ cost USD 19.99 per month for anyone who didn't have an Amazon Prime membership, and was initially made available to the new Fire TV devices the company announced last fall, as per TechCrunch. Now, Amazon said that everyone will be upgraded to Alexa+ automatically. They won't need to download an app or sign up for a subscription. Compatible devices include all the current-generation Amazon Fire TV Sticks, the Fire TV Cube, Amazon Ember smart TVs, and other smart TVs that have Alexa+ built in, including Hisense and Panasonic. The move comes amid a broader industry push to bring AI-powered services to a wider range of consumer electronics, often through automatic updates such as this one. Google, for example, introduced Gemini on its Google TV platform earlier this year, replacing basic search functions with conversational AI features. Roku also upgraded its voice assistant with AI capabilities last year. Amazon says that with Alexa+, users don't have to ask for shows by title, but can instead ask for suggestions based on other factors such as theme, age, or popularity -- for example, "a top-rated thriller" or "a historical drama with a strong female lead." (ANI)
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