(Reuters) – Amazon.com is planning an artificial intelligence-driven overhaul of its Alexa voice assistant and plans to charge a monthly subscription fee to offset technology costs, CNBC reported on Wednesday.
The online retail giant will launch a more conversational version of the voice assistant later this year, positioning it to better compete with AI-powered chatbots from Microsoft and Alphabet’s Google , the report said, citing two people familiar with the matter.
Amazon introduced Alexa in 2014 but has not found a consistent means to make it profitable, instead driving shoppers to the company’s website for more purchases.
Amazon did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
(Reporting by Zaheer Kachwala in Bengaluru; Editing by Pooja Desai)
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