Amazon is giving Alexa+ a bit more flexibility in how it talks to you.
The tech giant has announced that it is rolling out a new feature that lets Alexa+ users pick from different “personality styles”, changing the tone and delivery of responses rather than what the assistant can actually do.
It is a small tweak on paper, but one that taps directly into one of the most common complaints of the revamped digital assistant so far… that Alexa+ is a bit annoying and overly familiar.
At launch, there are three styles to choose from.
Brief is exactly what it sounds like, designed for people who want short, direct answers with no extra chat. Looking at some of the Alexa+ Reddit feedback, I’ve got a feeling that will be a popular choice.
Next up is Chill, which takes a more relaxed approach, responding in a conversational, easygoing way that feels closer to talking with a laid-back friend.
Finally, there’s Sweet, which goes big on warmth and enthusiasm, offering encouragement and positivity alongside the answer itself. Sounds absolutely awful, right?
Amazon is framing this as a response to how differently people like to communicate with voice assistants but it’s clear it has taken notice of the backlash.
Personality in AI is not a straightforward topic, of course.
There’s plenty of talk and a growing debate about how friendly or affirming assistants should be. Some users seem to like a highly flattering or reassuring AI, while critics have raised concerns that this kind of interaction can encourage unhealthy reliance in certain cases.
Tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT have moved in a direction similar to Amazon’s, with options that let users adjust tone, warmth and expressiveness. Even then, some users still complain that default personalities can feel overly reassuring.
Amazon says Alexa+ personality styles are built around five underlying traits: expressiveness, emotional openness, formality, directness and humor.
Each style is said to be a specific mix of those factors. Brief, for example, is not only concise, but also casual, direct and light on jokes. Sweet dials up emotional openness and encouragement, while Chill sits somewhere in the middle with a softer, more conversational feel.
You can ask Alexa directly to change its personality, or dig into the Alexa app by selecting your device and heading to Device Settings, where the Personality Style option lives.
For now, these personality styles are limited to Alexa+ users in the US, and Amazon says this is just the starting point. More styles are planned, suggesting Alexa’s voice could become a lot more flexible over time. Whether that makes Alexa feel more personal or just more configurable will depend on how people actually use it.