Amazon’s long-awaited update to its assistant is almost here. About 18 months after the company first previewed the “next-gen Alexa” built with generative AI, it unveiled Alexa+, and early access will be available starting in March.

Amazon seems to finally be getting on the AI train, so to speak, as it launched the new Alexa Plus this week. According to the company, this newly supercharged AI powered assistant is more intuitive, understanding the user's needs more effortlessly than the previous model.

Amazon is finally launching the long-awaited generative AI version of Alexa — Alexa Plus — that, if all goes well, will take away much of the friction that comes with talking to a speaker to control your smart home or getting info on the fly.