Amazon Looks to Boost Alexa With Smarter Memory to Compete With ChatGPT

Amazon is betting that a smarter memory could be the key to keeping Alexa competitive in the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence.

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, executives from Amazon outlined plans to make Alexa more personal by allowing the assistant to remember user preferences, habits, and past interactions — much like a close friend would. The goal is to revive the excitement that surrounded Alexa’s debut in 2014 and position it as a stronger rival to AI tools like ChatGPT.

Amazon launched Alexa+ in 2025, a more conversational and personalized version of its voice assistant. Company leaders say Alexa+ is designed less around building the most advanced AI model and more around applying AI to everyday life using context from Amazon’s ecosystem of devices and services.

Panos Panay, Amazon’s head of devices and services, said Alexa’s ability to connect information across devices is what sets it apart. He gave examples where Alexa remembered shopping needs or dining preferences and acted on them later, such as displaying options on an Echo Show or helping book restaurant reservations.

Amazon’s new Alexa.com website also allows users to chat with Alexa online and continue those conversations across devices, expanding the assistant beyond Echo speakers and into web-based tasks like planning trips or managing work.

The company says users are already engaging more with Alexa+, reporting twice as many conversations compared to the previous version. Still, Amazon acknowledges that Alexa must prove it can do more than control smart homes or help with shopping.

Looking ahead, Amazon plans to expand Alexa’s capabilities outside the home, including through wearable technology. The company recently acquired Bee, a startup that makes a wristband designed to analyze conversations and generate reminders and summaries — technology Amazon says could eventually integrate with Alexa.

Privacy remains a concern, especially as Alexa becomes more aware of users’ daily lives. Amazon says users will have control over how long voice recordings and transcripts are stored, emphasizing that personalization is optional.

As competition intensifies from AI platforms like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini, Amazon is hoping that a more intuitive, memory-driven Alexa will keep its assistant relevant in the next era of computing.

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