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.

Giving Alexa the power of generative AI was already expected to be the star announcement from Amazon -- and it was. During the last Devices and Services event in 2023, Amazon announced a gen AI-powered 'Alexa+' or Alexa Plus and a new user interface coming to an Echo device near you, and the company is now making it more real than ever before.

Amazon ( AMZN) is breathing new life into its Alexa voice assistant, outfitting the 10-year old helper with generative AI capabilities to better compete with the likes of Google's ( GOOG, GOOGL) Gemini and Microsoft-backed ( MSFT) ChatGPT.

Amazon is aiming to catch up in generative artificial intelligence and to reboot its virtual assistant, which has been leapfrogged by powerful chatbots.

Amazon announced the revamped Alexa+ voice assistant, with “more personalized and conversational” generative-artificial-intelligence features, at a live event Wednesday. It starts rolling out to Echo devices with display next month,

Amazon's Devices and Services event showcased the future of Alexa, emphasizing how its advanced AI will enhance and power the company's top products.