Running AI is so expensive that Amazon will probably charge you to use Alexa in future, says outgoing exec

• Outgoing Amazon exec Dave Limp thinks Amazon will "absolutely" start charging to use Alexa.
• He pointed to the huge costs of running AI models as the reason why.
• But he acknowledged that Alexa will need to drastically improve before that happens.

The emerging generation of "superhuman" AI models are so expensive to run that Amazon might charge you to use its Alexa assistant one day.

In an interview with Bloomberg, outgoing Amazon executive Dave Limp said that he "absolutely" believes that Amazon could start charging a subscription fee for Alexa, and pointed to the cost of training and running generative artificial intelligence models for the smart speaker's new AI features as the reason why.

"When you start using these (AI models) a lot, the cost to train the model, and the cost for inference of the model in the cloud, is substantial," he said.

He added that the current version of Alexa will remain free, and that a paid version would need to demonstrate more advanced capabilities and usefulness.

Limp said that the company had not discussed what price it would charge for the subscription, adding that "the Alexa you know and love today is going to remain free" but that a future subscription-based version is "not years away."

Generative AI models require huge amounts of computing power, with analysts estimating that OpenAI's ChatGPT costs $700,000 a day or more to run.

Amazon has bet big on AI, with the company unveiling a new, AI-powered version of Alexa alongside updated versions of its Echo Frames and Carrerra smart glasses last week. It has also just invested up to $4 billion into Anthropic, a rival to OpenAI.

Limp, Amazon's senior VP of devices and services, announced he would step down from his role at the company after 13 years a month before the launch of the new products. Insider's Ashley Stewart reported that former Microsoft exec Panos Panay is expected to replace Limp.

Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider, made outside normal working hours.