Amazon is exploring ways to integrate ads into Alexa+, its new AI-powered voice assistant. During the company’s Q2 2025 report, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said, “People do a lot of shopping [with Alexa+]; it’s a delightful shopping experience that will keep getting better,” he told investors. Jassy added that as people engage in more multi-turn conversations with Alexa+, “there will be opportunities… to have advertising play a role to help people find discovery, and also as a lever to drive revenue.”

The company is seeing potential in bringing ads to users as they interact with the assistant. Delivering ads within Alexa+ conversations could open up new opportunities for advertisers to reach users through natural voice interactions, not just visual or audio formats.

Currently, Alexa’s ad placements are limited. Users might see an ad on the Echo Show screen or hear a short audio ad during music playback. But the company could be considering an ad format that displays AI-generated ads, which surface naturally as part of a voice interaction.

Alexa+ joins the growing list of AI tools attracting advertiser interest

Amazon launched Alexa+ in February as an AI version of Alexa. The company said Alexa+ is designed to support more natural conversations and handle more complex tasks. Alexa+ is already available for free to Amazon Prime subscribers. Users who aren’t Prime members can pay $20 per month for access. Jassy hinted that future subscription tiers may give users more choices, including possibly an ad-free option.

Generative AI is becoming a space where new ad formats are emerging

The conversational feature was launched as a competition to AI tools from OpenAI, Google, and Perplexity. The new version is meant to be more conversational and intelligent, capable of agentic behavior. These competitors are already exploring similar ideas by bringing ads into their generative AI features. Google is testing ads in AI Mode, having rolled out ads to AI Overviews. Perplexity is also experimenting with ads within its chatbot. OpenAI hasn’t rolled out ads yet, but reports suggest the company isn’t ruling it out.

Amazon’s AI investments align with ad growth

Advertising is becoming an important part of Amazon’s business. In the second quarter, the company reported a 23% year-over-year increase in ad sales, reaching $16 billion. That kind of growth explains why Amazon is exploring more ad-supported features inside its core services.

Jassy bets that Alexa+ will become a more engaging interface than the old Alexa and that increased use will open up more ad opportunities. “Our conviction that AI will change every customer experience is starting to play out,” he said. Amazon claims that AI has improved customer interactions and made operations more efficient, including in areas like Alexa+ and its shopping assistant tool.

But it’s still early days. Amazon has not shared how these ads would be presented or measured, but its vast shopping ecosystem gives it an edge in building ad formats that link directly to product pages or sponsored listings. While Alexa+ is available, reports suggest some of its advanced features have been delayed or are still in limited release.