Amazon makes its AI-powered Alexa+ free on Fire TV, no Prime required

The companies point to metrics like time spent with the features to suggest positive consumer adoption trends. For instance, Amazon says that Alexa+ customers now have nearly twice as many conversations on Fire TV as they did with the original Alexa, which apparently suggests that customers with Alexa+ are no longer using their TV only as a lean-back source of entertainment, and are instead engaging with the AI, too.

Whether or not that’s a good thing is debatable.

Amazon says that with Alexa+, users don’t have to ask for shows by title, but can instead ask for suggestions based on other factors such as theme, age or popularity — for example, “a top-rated thriller” or “a historical drama with a strong female lead.”

The AI bot can also help customers manage and control their smart home, including displaying their Ring camera feeds on the TV.