Amazon to Launch New AI-Powered Alexa Using Anthropic's Claude

Amazon is set to release a revamped version of its Alexa voice assistant this October that will be powered by AI models from Anthropic's Claude, rather than Amazon's in-house AI technology, reports Reuters.

amazon echo dot

Amazon's Echo device with Alexa

The decision to use Claude's AI models comes after Amazon's internal software reportedly struggled with performance issues during initial testing. Sources who spoke to Reuters claim that early versions using Amazon's own AI had difficulty responding promptly, sometimes taking up to 6-7 seconds to acknowledge and reply to prompts.

This new AI-enhanced "Remarkable" Alexa is expected to offer more advanced capabilities compared to the current version. Users will reportedly be able to engage in more complex, context-aware conversations with the assistant.

Some potential features include providing shopping advice for specific scenarios like vacation clothing recommendations, aggregating news stories, executing multi-step tasks from a single prompt such as ordering food or drafting emails, and enhanced home automation with improved ability to remember and apply user preferences.

Amazon plans to offer this upgraded "Remarkable" Alexa as a paid subscription service, with pricing anticipated to be between $5 to $10 per month. In other words, it won't be included in existing Prime memberships. The existing "Classic" Alexa service will remain available for free.

The move to partner with Anthropic for AI technology contrasts with Amazon's typical strategy of relying on in-house developments, but similar partnerships such as Microsoft and Apple's collaborations with OpenAI for ChatGPT integration indicate a broader shift in the tech industry.

Amazon has invested $4 billion in Anthropic, which may have influenced this decision, but the full details of the agreement between the two companies regarding the use of Claude in Alexa have not been disclosed.

Industry analysts estimate that there are approximately 100 million active Alexa users. If 10% of these users opt for the paid version, it could potentially generate at least $600 million in annual revenue for Amazon, assuming the lower end of the expected price range.

The launch of this new Alexa comes at a critical time for Amazon's voice assistant division. Despite Alexa's widespread adoption, with Amazon claiming 500 million Alexa-enabled devices sold, it has struggled to generate significant revenue. Amazon's leadership has reportedly emphasized that 2024 is a crucial year for Alexa to demonstrate its ability to drive meaningful sales.

While Amazon has confirmed its use of various AI models, including its own Titan model and those from partners, it has not specifically commented on the use of Claude for the new Alexa. The official unveiling of the new AI-powered Alexa is expected to take place at Amazon's annual devices and services event, typically held in September.

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Will Bring Biggest Design Overhaul Since iOS 7

Monday March 10, 2025 12:17 pm PDT by
Apple is planning for a major design overhaul of the iPhone, iPad, and Mac interfaces with the introduction of iOS 19, iPadOS 19, and macOS 16 later this year, reports Bloomberg. The update will "fundamentally change" the look of Apple's operating system, introducing a more consistent cross-platform experience. Apple plans to update the style of icons, menus, apps, windows, and system...
ios 18 4 carplay

Apple Upgrades CarPlay in Two Ways

Wednesday March 12, 2025 6:05 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 18.4 update for the iPhone includes a smaller but meaningful improvement for Apple's in-car iPhone mirroring system CarPlay. Specifically, CarPlay now shows a third row of icons, up from two rows previously. However, this change is only visible in vehicles with a larger center display. For example, a MacRumors Forums member noticed the change in a Toyota Tundra with a...
Apple One Apps Feature 2

Apple One's Best Plan Now Includes Two More Perks For Free

Monday March 10, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Apple One allows you to subscribe to up to six Apple services for one discounted monthly price. There are three Apple One tiers: Individual, Family, and Premier. Over the last month, the highest-end ‌Apple One‌ Premier plan has gained two additional perks. Here is what Apple One Premier already included, for $37.95 per month:Apple Music Apple TV+ Apple Arcade Apple News+ Apple Fitness+...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3 Launch Now Just Months Away: Here's What We Know

Tuesday March 11, 2025 3:26 am PDT by
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for. Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as excellent for...
iOS 18

12 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.4

Monday March 10, 2025 9:28 am PDT by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.4 in early April, bringing further refinements to Apple Intelligence features, a neat new capability to iPhone 15 Pro devices, new emoji, and more. While not quite as packed with new features as Apple's preceding iOS 18 point releases, iOS 18.4 still introduces enhancements that aim to make your iPhone smarter and more intuitive. Below, we've listed 12 new...
iphone 17 mockups idevicehelp

Video Shows iPhone 17 Mockups Based on 'Internal Documents'

Monday March 10, 2025 4:41 am PDT by
YouTuber iDeviceHelp on Friday posted a video that shows off mockups of Apple's forthcoming iPhone 17 models that are purportedly based on "internal documents." We're sharing the video here since it was made in collaboration with leaker Majin Bu, who last month published similar iPhone 17 renders that were widely corroborated by separate leakers with links to Apple's Chinese supply chain....
iOS 18

iOS 18.3.2 Update Coming Soon for iPhones

Monday March 10, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple employees are internally testing iOS 18.3.2 for iPhones, according to our website's visitor logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. The software update should be released in the next week or two. iOS 18.3.2 will be a minor update that addresses software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. Don't expect any new features. iOS 18.3.2 will be an interim...
Apple Maps vs Google Maps Feature

iOS 18.4 Adds a Highly-Requested Setting to iPhones — But Not in U.S.

Wednesday March 12, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
iPhones are finally getting a much-requested setting, but availability is limited. The upcoming iOS 18.4 update introduces an option to set a default navigation app, other than Apple Maps, but unfortunately this new setting is limited to users in the EU. There, you can now set an app like Google Maps or Waze as your default navigation app on the iPhone by opening the Settings app and tapping ...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.3.2 With Bug Fixes

Tuesday March 11, 2025 10:33 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.3.2 and iPadOS 18.3.2, minor updates for the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that came out last September. iOS 18.3.2 and iOS 18.3.2 come a month after Apple released iOS 18.3.1 and iPadOS 18.3.1. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. According to Apple's release...

Top Rated Comments

abatabia Avatar
7 months ago
Way way way too many subscriptions.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
McWetty Avatar
7 months ago
I don’t see another subscription like this succeeding (to the decree they need it to). They would find more success raising the price of prime $10/yr and making remarkable prime only.

Same would be true for Apple charging for a better Siri by rolling it into iCloud One. People are already burdened by too many subscriptions; an AI bot sub isn’t going to fly far.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
honglong1976 Avatar
7 months ago
Old AI model - Alexa turn on light
New AI model - Alexa turn on light

Seems pointless to me.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Pezimak Avatar
7 months ago

Old AI model - Alexa turn on light
New AI model - Alexa turn on light

Seems pointless to me.
Probably be more like:

Old AI model - Alexa turn on the light - Ok
New AI model - Alexa turn on the light - Ok, by the way your bulbs lifespan has only 10 hours left, would you like me to order some more at £4 each?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
emmab2006 Avatar
7 months ago
Anyone else fed up of AI Yet ?... its not even AI its machine learning. what we consider AI does not exist yet... ugh... enough of this gimmicky crap.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
contacos Avatar
7 months ago
so they gonna charge for something based on another companies AI work?

Big NOPE
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)