Overview

• Amazon has rolled out Alexa+ in a limited preview for select Echo devices after months of development delays.
• Reviewers found that Alexa+ lags behind ChatGPT’s voice mode and sometimes underperforms the original Alexa on routine commands.
• Testers experienced hallucinated shopping recommendations, missing features and failures on simple tasks like alarm cancellations.
• Amazon executives acknowledge that the hybrid deterministic and large language model design still needs significant refinement before a full release.
• Apple has scrapped its initial hybrid Siri prototype and delayed its next-generation AI assistant until spring 2026.