Amazon's Alexa+ shifts AI from cost-center to profit-center

The conversation around Amazon's new Alexa+ and its AI capabilities is missing a key perspective: the strategic shift in the AI landscape from a cost-center to a profit-center for businesses. For years, AI was viewed primarily as a technological investment to improve efficiency or provide a better user experience. Now, with generative AI, the focus is changing. Amazon's approach with Alexa+ perfectly illustrates this pivot. Instead of just being a voice assistant, Alexa+ is being designed as a powerful agentic tool that can complete tasks, from summarizing data to making bookings. While critics are quick to point out its current limitations compared to ChatGPT, they're missing the bigger picture. The true long-term value isn't just in the AI's "smarts," but in its ability to directly drive revenue for Amazon's core business—shopping. This is the next phase of the AI evolution. It's not about which AI is "smarter" in a vacuum; it's about which AI can be most effectively integrated into a business's revenue model. For Amazon, Alexa+ is a strategic move to leverage AI to enhance the shopping experience, increase customer engagement, and ultimately, drive sales. The real question isn't whether Alexa+ can catch up to ChatGPT, but whether its integration into Amazon’s vast ecosystem will create a new, more profitable paradigm for AI-driven commerce. #amazon #ai #startups #marketing #alexa #techtrends #aiforbusiness #aistrategy Rachel Kleinman https://lnkd.in/gKukZTte