It’s been a little over three months since I upgraded to Alexa+, Amazon’s new subscription-based AI assistant that promises to make Alexa more natural, proactive and genuinely helpful. After years of shouting “Alexa, turn on the lights,” I wanted to see if the new generative-AI version could really make my smart home feel that much smarter. I still use Alexa+ in quirky ways like I used Alexa and it's helped a lot with my family's chaotic schedule. This is definitely a big step forward — but it's not quite flawless yet.

1. It finally talks like a human (and remembers what you mean)

The most immediate difference with Alexa+ is how conversational it feels. It even understands my four-year-old who has a speech delay, which I have to say is pretty awesome. He has his own account and when he s

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