Amazon is rolling out a significantly enhanced version of its voice assistant, dubbed 'Alexa Plus,' with a strategic focus on advanced artificial intelligence capabilities, particularly an improved 'memory' function, to rival leading generative AI platforms like ChatGPT and Google Gemini. This upgrade is part of Amazon's broader vision to make Alexa a more personalized and proactive digital companion, capable of remembering user preferences and past interactions to provide more relevant and helpful responses. In a direct move to compete with web-based AI chatbots, Amazon has also launched Alexa.com, a dedicated web portal that allows users to interact with Alexa Plus through a browser, offering a chat-forward design for both voice and text interactions. This expansion beyond traditional smart devices aims to increase Alexa's accessibility and utility across multiple platforms. However, the rollout has not been without controversy. Amazon has reportedly begun automatically upgrading its Prime members to Alexa Plus, often without an explicit opt-in option, a move that has generated dissatisfaction among some users. While users are given the option to revert to the original Alexa, some have reported encountering issues, such as an increase in advertisements, after doing so. Despite these concerns, Amazon sees Alexa Plus as a critical evolution, leveraging its vast installed base of over 600 million Alexa-enabled devices globally. The company aims for Alexa Plus to become a central hub for managing tasks, controlling smart home devices, and engaging in more natural, flowing conversations, making it a powerful contender in the burgeoning AI assistant market.