ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (WHAT THE TECH?) — “Alexa, what is the forecast?” Soon, she may not give you an answer unless you pay for it.

Amazon has reportedly lost over 10 billion dollars on the Echo/Alexa platform. They sell these things for less than what it costs to make them. So to make them profitable, advanced features on Alexa will require a subscription.

What exactly does this mean? Amazon isn’t saying “Hmmm I don’t know that,”and Alexa dodges the question.

An Amazon spokesperson did point me to a Bloomberg story and interview with outgoing Amazon executive Dave Limp. He said new AI features will force the company to charge extra.

Some of what Alexa does now will remain free. Skills, like controlling smart home devices, playing music on Spotify, and looking up business hours and phone numbers, will likely require a monthly subscription above the cost of a Prime membership.

It shouldn’t come as a huge shock.

Amazon recently added commercials to Prime Video unless you pay extra and Prime Music is an extra $12 a month.

ChatGPT is also creating all sorts of content for free while Alexa is just setting alarms for a nap.

Amazon will add ChatGPT-like skills that will cost extra. It’s a move that shows Amazon is like a lot of other companies, particularly some TV manufacturers, that want to make money not just when customers but when they use the products.

Chances are good you’ll still be able to get the time and weather, set alarms, and of course, order Amazon products through Alexa for no additional cost.

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