aiqbench analysis
This review evaluates Amazon's Alexa Plus, an AI-powered voice assistant designed for smart home management and personal memory synthesis, though it notes significant limitations in broader personal life assistance. The analysis highlights the current state of generative AI integration in consumer IoT, specifically focusing on the trade-off between advanced multimodal capabilities like photo montages and intrusive advertising behaviors.
Alexa Plus is better at running my home, but it’s not ready to run my life
I’ve spent a year living with Alexa Plus, and it both delights and frustrates me, which is the smart home in a nutshell. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge Of all the things Alexa Plus can do, I never expected it to make me cry. Since my son left for college, the Echo Show in my office has been making then-and-now photo montages: the toddler with his first tennis racket next to the captain of his varsity team; me hugging him as a tween beside me hugging him as a young man. I've teared up more than once. But then comes the ad, a full-screen photo of a hideous brown leather recliner. I go from nostalgic joy to irritation in an instant. That pretty much sums up my year with Alexa Plus. One minute it will do something seriously impressive; the next, it acts like it doesn't know who I am. I've bee … Read the full story at The Verge.
Of all the things Alexa Plus can do, I never expected it to make me cry. Since my son left for college, the Echo Show in my office has been making then-and-now photo montages: the toddler with his first tennis racket next to the captain of his varsity team; me hugging him as a tween beside me hugging him as a young man. I’ve teared up more than once. But then comes the ad, a full-screen photo of a hideous brown leather recliner. I go from nostalgic joy to irritation in an instant. That pretty much sums up my year with Alexa Plus. One minute it will do something seriously impressive; the next, it acts like it doesn’t know who I am. Alexa Plus’s memories feature pulls images from your Alexa Photos albums. It’s become very good at pairing images from over the years, like these two of my son and me. I’ve been testing Amazon’s AI-powered Alexa Plus assistant in my home since July 2025, shortly after it launched in early access and ahead of its full launch in February 2026. With Google’s rollout of Gemini for Home earlier this year, and rumors that Apple is finally bringing the…
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