When Amazon launched its Alexa voice assistant, it envisioned a computer platform that could do anything for you. A decade later, the company is still trying to build it.
When Amazon’s Alexa was announced on November 6, 2014, it felt like the future was here. Inspired by Star Trek’s “Computer,” Jeff Bezos envisioned Alexa as an omnipresent, voice-activated AI capable of responding to our every request. “It has been a dream since the early days of science fiction to have a computer that you can talk to in a natural way and actually ask it to do things for you,” Bezos said shortly after its launch. “And that is coming true.”
At first, it seemed to be happening. Packed in a Pringles can-shaped speaker called the Echo, Alexa entered homes and transformed hands-on tasks into simple voice commands. From checking the weather to setting timers, Alexa brought a touch of futuristic magic to daily life. Just two years in, over 5 million homes had Echo devices, including mine.
Now, nearly a decade later, Alexa is present in over 40 million U.S. households, processing billions of commands weekly. Yet, despite this growth, the dream of a “superhuman assistant who is there when you need it, disappears when you don’t, and works tirelessly in the background” has not materialized. Alexa’s capabilities have expanded, sure — it can now control lights, make phone calls, and remind us to take out the trash — but it has yet to become much “smarter.” As one former Amazon employee put it, “We worried we’ve hired 10,000 people and we’ve built a smart timer.”
Alexa’s Glimmer of Genius: The Early Promise
It’s easy to forget how groundbreaking Alexa was when it first arrived. Unlike Apple’s Siri, trapped in phones, or Microsoft’s Cortana, bound to computers, Alexa lived in the Echo, a voice-activated speaker you could shout at from anywhere in the room. Its far-field speech recognition technology, powered by a seven-microphone array, was jaw-dropping at the time. When that glowing blue ring lit up, Alexa was ready to set a timer or share a joke.
Amazon’s shift to smart home control began to hint at a Star Trek-like future. After releasing an Alexa smart home API in 2016 and embedding a Zigbee radio in the Echo Plus in 2017, Alexa could connect and control devices in our homes. Saying, “Alexa, tea. Earl Grey. Hot,” and imagining a cup appearing in seconds seemed closer than ever.
Voice control for lights, thermostats, and other devices was genuinely exciting. We finally had a semblance of Star Trek’s “Computer” in our homes — even with the option to rename Alexa as “Computer.” Alexa offered a user-friendly entry point into the Internet of Things, opening doors for a flood of consumer-level connected devices. Popular brands like Nest, August, Philips Hue, Ecobee, and LiFX partly owe their success to Alexa’s ease of use.
A Flawed Ecosystem and Slowed Development
Alexa’s capabilities grew quickly, thanks to an open system that allowed nearly anyone to create “skills” for the voice assistant. Unfortunately, many of these skills were buggy and inconsistent, leading to a patchy user experience. Specific phrasing was often required to trigger each one, adding frustration to the novelty.
Then Alexa hit a wall. Technology has an underlying assumption of continuous improvement. But Amazon prioritized expanding Alexa’s reach over advancing its intelligence. Instead of developing its core functionality, Amazon doubled down on increasing Alexa-compatible devices and relying on third-party developers to extend Alexa’s capabilities.
The voice assistant gained new abilities, but the platform became increasingly complicated, and users struggled to manage and control their devices effectively. Routines offered one solution, allowing users to group commands together, but setting them up meant using a phone app and frequently troubleshooting devices and connectivity. Hearing “‘Lamp’ isn’t responding. Please check its network connection and power supply” was hardly the seamless experience we were promised.
It’s not that Alexa failed to evolve; rather, it didn’t evolve the way users had hoped. Today, Alexa can control an impressive array of devices, yet its limitations remind us of its origins: a smart timer in a speaker.
Too Much Hardware, Not Enough Intelligence
In the wake of Alexa’s stalled development, Amazon flooded the market with new Echo devices. There were annual updates to the smart speakers, plus new Alexa gadgets like the Echo Buds, Echo Loop, Echo Glasses, and Echo Auto. Many of these devices fizzled and mostly lost money for Amazon; The Wall Street Journal reported that Amazon’s device unit lost tens of billions of dollars.
Amazon did pioneer one successful product category: the smart display. The Echo Show combined Alexa’s voice recognition with a touchscreen, adding video calling, visual information, and camera viewing. But these displays often suffered from sluggish processors and too many ads, limiting their potential to meaningfully advance Alexa’s core capabilities.
As it stands today, people seem to buy Echo devices mainly because they’re cheaper than the competition. Despite the promise of futuristic capabilities, Alexa users mainly set timers, play music, and ask about the weather — pretty much the same functions available since 2014. The expectation for more advanced features has faded, especially with Echo devices priced as low as $18.
What Alexa Needs to Become the “Computer”
There’s a lingering hope for Alexa’s evolution. Last year, Amazon announced it’s working on a generative AI-powered Alexa, driven by a large language model (LLM) that promises to make Alexa more proactive and conversational. This technology could enable Alexa to interact with us more naturally, a potential leap forward from its current state.
But even if an LLM-powered Alexa arrives, it won’t be a complete solution. While LLMs can interpret language better, they still lack the ability to execute complex tasks consistently and might even “hallucinate” information. This is especially concerning in a home setting, where a misinterpreted command could have real consequences.
The missing ingredient for Alexa to become the fabled “Computer” is context. An intelligent voice assistant must know your daily routines, the layout of your home, and the habits of each household member. While Amazon’s Echo devices include some contextual features like ultrasound sensors and smart home data, Amazon lacks comprehensive access to user data compared to companies like Google and Apple, which draw from your phone, calendar, email, and search history.
The Road Ahead: Alexa’s Last Frontier
There’s still hope for Alexa’s transformation. Amazon recently revealed that its “New Alexa” can create multistep routines based on simple, conversational commands. If Amazon can enhance Alexa’s contextual understanding — recognizing who’s at home, what tasks need to be done, and what’s coming up in your schedule — Alexa could become an indispensable part of our lives.
Imagine saying, “Alexa, remind my son to grab his science project before he leaves,” and Alexa responds by setting an alarm that activates upon his departure. Or asking, “Alexa, let the plumber in at 4 PM,” and Alexa unlocks and locks the door accordingly, adjusting your home’s security in real-time.
This kind of AI-powered, contextually aware assistant would bring Alexa closer to the Star Trek vision, enough that Amazon could likely justify charging for it, as it has hinted.
Alexa’s Mission: To Boldly Go Where No Assistant Has Gone Before
Still, there’s a risk that Apple or Google will overtake Alexa before Amazon achieves its reinvention. Both companies are advancing in the smart home space, with Apple working on “Apple Intelligence” and Google on its Gemini AI system, which could reshape their voice assistants.
In 2014, Alexa opened the door to voice-controlled homes. Today, it remains the most popular assistant within smart speakers, with over two-thirds of the U.S. market. But as Google and Apple continue investing in the smart home, Alexa’s lead may be shrinking.
If Amazon can overcome its hurdles, it stands as the best-positioned company to deliver on the vision of a true “Star Trek Computer.” The home is the final frontier, and it’s time for Alexa to boldly go where no voice assistant has gone before. After a decade of groundwork, Amazon has a real opportunity to make Alexa truly intelligent and transform our homes for the better.
