Amazon is targeting a launch of Alexa Plus in India by the end of this year, betting that a more conversational, AI-driven assistant can reshape how Indian consumers interact with technology at home.

“I’m hoping by the end of the year,” Panos Panay, senior vice president, Devices & Services at Amazon, told Fortune India, while adding that he does not want to lock in a date until the product is fully ready for the Indian market. “When the product’s ready, it’ll be here… It’s got to be great. I don’t want this market to have to deal with mediocrity.”

Alexa Plus is positioned as the next evolution of Amazon Alexa, moving beyond basic voice commands to natural, ambient conversations powered by generative AI. Panay described it as central to Amazon’s global innovation strategy. “Everything we’re doing is anchored on it,” he said, noting that the company is using multiple large language models to make interactions more fluid and context-aware.

Also read: Exclusive: Fire TV’s second act: How Amazon is reinventing Fire Stick in the age of Smart TVs

The shift, he explained, is from “command and control” to dialogue. Instead of issuing rigid instructions, users can speak naturally — asking Alexa to order missing ingredients while cooking, switch off lights, create lists or call someone — without reaching for a phone. “When you get there, it’s this incredible shift of behavior for the customer,” he said.

For India, language is the critical hurdle. The country has 22 official languages, along with countless dialects and hybrids such as “Hinglish”. Panay said the team is focused on capturing not just translation, but nuance. “It’s not just this straight-up translation of a language, but the dialect and the behavior,” he said. “You don’t want to miss that.”

Alexa Plus will also act as the connective layer across Amazon’s device ecosystem, from Echo speakers to Fire TV and Kindle. Devices already sold in India are expected to receive updates once the new assistant rolls out. “The devices you already have will all become AI-oriented with Alexa Plus,” Panay said.

Also read: Why Microsoft, Amazon, and Google are betting billions of dollars on AI use-cases in India

Security, often a concern with AI assistants, is being addressed through Amazon’s existing infrastructure. The company anchors its systems on Amazon Web Services and allows users to control what data is stored or deleted. “The number one thing you have to do is give the control to the customer,” he said.

Amazon has committed to invest $35 billion in India by 2030, underscoring the scale of its ambitions in one of its fastest-growing markets. For Panay, Alexa Plus could be pivotal. “I think Alexa Plus is going to transform how the Indian market reacts to technology,” he said. “I can’t wait.”