Now, I’ve known Panay for a long time — if you’re a tech fan, you know that he was the Microsoft exec who really brought the Windows hardware market back to life by introducing the Surface line of tablets and laptops,

The biggest surprise at Amazon’s press conference last week was the lack of hardware announcements. Traditionally, Amazon announces dozens of new gadgets at its events, but this time, Amazon spent 70 minutes talking about software. Specifically, Alexa Plus, its new generative AI-powered Alexa voice assistant. And that was exactly the right move.

Alexa+, Amazon’s revamped version of Alexa was unveiled Wednesday, bringing the popular voice assistant into the artificial intelligence era.

At an event in New York on Wednesday, Amazon announced an upgraded Alexa experience — Alexa+ — powered by generative AI technologies. Onstage, Amazon’s devices and services chief Panos Panay called it a “complete re-architecture” of the AI assistant.

Amazon is hosting an Alexa-focused press event in NYC on Wednesday. Considering the company hasn't held a major device presser in nearly two years — the

Amazon has announced Alexa Plus, an AI-powered upgrade that promises a smarter, more conversational, and proactive voice assistant.

Amazon unveiled its new, more conversational Alexa voice assistant, but our research shows users aren't fans of cost or privacy risks.