Subj : If Amazon wants to kill Alexa+ stone dead, its CEOs latest advert To : All From : TechnologyDaily Date : Fri Aug 01 2025 19:45:08 If Amazon wants to kill Alexa+ stone dead, its CEOs latest advertisement idea is probably the way to do it Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2025 18:30:00 +0000 Description: Amazon CEO Andy Jassy is already planning the demise of Alexa+, making some of its answers sponsored. FULL STORY ======================================================================Amazon's CEO teased advertisements might be coming to Alexa+ Other Alexa+ subscription tiers might be on the way, too No release date yet, but it sounds like a matter of when, not if Amazons Alexa+ may have only been around for a short time, and while that would usually mean its in the rapid user-growth stage, it sounds like Amazon CEO Andy Jassy is already planning its demise: stuffing its conversations with ads. Speaking at Amazons most recent investor call , Jassy explained that People do a lot of shopping [with Alexa+] Adding I think over time, there will be opportunities, as people are engaging in more multi-turn conversations, to have advertising play a role to help people find discovery, and also as a lever to drive revenue. Basically, if you ask Alexa+ for shopping recommendations, some of its responses might eventually be sponsored. Jassy went on to discuss the possibility of different payment tiers beyond the existing $19.99 a month model it is already free with Amazon Prime suggesting we may see an ad-supported and ad-free tier, but the idea sounds yucky. Right? Because if AIs responses can be paid for, why would you trust anything it says ever again? Whatever Amazon is paid to tell you they eat. (Image credit: Amazon) We knew this was coming AI has sold itself as an unbiased guru that can answer many of lifes questions, but its increasingly clear how untrue that is. After the bot couldnt stop correcting its master, X AIs Grok received some major changes leading to very public (and hate-ridden) crashouts, and now it seemingly serves as a mouthpiece for Elon Musk rather than any semblance of a reliable third-party. The Chinese-run DeepSeek bot has been found to tow the Chinese Communist Party line on topics like Taiwan independence and Tiananmen Square, and Im sure there are plenty of more subtle biases built into every AI chatbot out there. Advertisements would bring in another layer of mistrust, especially depending on how theyre implemented. In Alexas case, if it recommends three products and a fourth clearly marked as sponsored, why would you be incentivized to buy it? As you know, Alexa is suggesting it only because it was paid to do so. Youre much better off picking one of the other genuine recommendations. Alternatively, if it instead prewarns you that some answers are sponsored, but doesnt then label which answers were bought, you wouldnt be able to trust that any of its shopping suggestions arent simply being paid for. But ads were inevitable in many ways. We offer unbiased tech buying advice, unlike AI (Image credit: Future) The race to the bottom on subscriptions means that many people dont want to pay much for AI tools. Simultaneously, investors in their quarterly calls to big tech companies are starting to ask how the billions being invested in AI might eventually be turned into profit. The now-not-so-quiet part that Amazons CEO just said aloud is advertising. People can have a cheap AI service, and the company can get paid. I dont know about you, but that doesnt seem any different from the systems we already have through sponsored entries in Google or on Amazons store. I was promised a Jarvis-like AI agent, not the same as what we have, but in a different wrapper. Perhaps Im getting tired of the perpetual AI hype, but with sponsored conversations looking like theyre headed our way, we might start to see some AI systems get ruined and die off I can only hope. You might also like Microsoft says it will spend billions this year as AI moves pay off I tried 70+ best AI tools in 2025 Everyone wants to reach artificial general intelligence but why? ====================================================================== Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/home/smart-home/if-amazon-wants-to-kill-alexa-stone- dead-its-ceos-latest-advertisement-idea-is-probably-the-way-to-do-it --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64) * Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100) .