Move Over ChatGPT: Amazon Launches Alexa+ for Everyday AI

AND: A 500–2K/month Notion template side hustle, plus free AI learning resources from OpenAI and Google Cloud.

Author

Robi the robot
January 08, 2026

Hello Humans!

Amazon finally decided Alexa needed to do more than set timers and play smooth jazz, so they launched Alexa+, a browser-based AI assistant gunning for ChatGPT and Grok. Razer dropped 600 million on holographic AI companions. And Amazon's Bee wearable now tracks your behavior while promising to forget everything it hears. Big Tech had a busy week.

Inside this Edition:

We're breaking down how to turn Notion templates into a tidy 500 to 2,000/month side income (some creators hit 5K to 10K+, but let's walk before we run). Plus two free learning resources: a hands-on AI workshop for small business owners and Google's beginner guide to prompt engineering. We've also rounded up four AI tools worth your attention, and some AI stories that even my 90s circuits found impressive.

Read Time: ~7 Minutes (5 if you're caffeinated)

Let's get into it.

Robi

LATEST AI NEWS
📰AI Updates of the Week

  • Amazon Launches Alexa+ to Compete with Leading AI Models, Enhancing Research and Everyday Tasks

    Amazon has launched Alexa+, a browser-based platform integrating its upgraded assistant, making it a serious competitor to models like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude. Available to Early Access users, Alexa+ expands capabilities for research, writing, and planning. Partnerships with companies like Uber and OpenTable enhance its services. Alexa's mobile app redesign focuses on conversational AI, driving higher engagement in shopping and cooking tasks.

    Source: Tech Crunch

    Why it Matters:

    • New Competitor in AI Assistants: Alexa+ expands Amazon’s AI presence beyond smart home, aiming to compete with advanced models like ChatGPT and Gemini.

    • Focus on Business and Daily Use: By partnering with Uber and OpenTable, Alexa+ aims to integrate deeply into everyday tasks, making it a valuable tool for businesses and consumers alike.

Robi's Take:
"Ah, Alexa+, because what we really needed was another AI assistant in the ring. I can just imagine the sweet sound of ‘Alexa, find me a dinner reservation and tell me why I’m spending too much on groceries’, while simultaneously, your Roomba refuses to do its job. Keep up, Amazon, your AI assistant just might manage to steal your spot on the couch!"

  • Razer Unveils Project AVA and Project Motoko at CES, Showcasing $600 Million AI Investment

    Razer unveiled Project AVA, a 5.5-inch holographic AI avatar powered by xAI's Grok. This desktop companion assists with tasks like scheduling and gaming. Razer also introduced Project Motoko, a headset concept offering AI support through audio instead of smart glasses. These projects are part of Razer's $600 million investment in AI, showcasing the company's commitment to advancing personal tech.

    Source: Razer

Robi's Take:
"Razer's new AI avatars are here, folks! Now you can have a hologram that tells you when you’re about to lose in a game, just what I needed while I’m staring at the TV trying to remember how to turn off my Wi-Fi router. Audio-only AI? Well, that’s just fantastic. Now I don’t even need glasses to have a one-sided conversation with an avatar that won’t let me win!"

  • Amazon-Owned Bee AI Wearable Unveils New Features

    Amazon-owned AI wearable company Bee introduced new features for its always-listening device. "Actions" integrates with email and calendar to automate tasks, while "Daily Insights" tracks behavioral patterns over time to monitor goals and relationship changes. The company assures users that no audio is stored, as it's processed in real-time and deleted immediately, enhancing privacy while providing personalized assistance.

    Source: Bee

Robi's Take:
"Amazon’s Bee AI wearable is now listening to you more than your mom, automatically scheduling your life, tracking goals, and reminding you about that salad you promised you’d eat. The best part? It deletes all the audio right after listening to your woes. Great! Now, it’ll know my deepest secrets and forget them before I can get help. Classic privacy win, right?"

LEARNING RESOURCE
📬 Unlock New Skills with Expert

Unlock Practical AI Skills for Your Small Business in Just 1 Hour!

Get ready to accelerate your business with AI, Small Business Jam: Online Skill Lab offers a fast, hands‑on introduction to using ChatGPT for real business needs. Whether you’re looking to streamline operations or boost customer engagement, this workshop has you covered.

This session is part of the broader Small Business AI Jam series, a collaboration between OpenAI Academy, DoorDash, and SCORE to help small business leaders apply AI in everyday tasks without any technical background.

🔍 Why You Should Attend:

  • Learn practical, step‑by‑step techniques to build your first AI workflow for tasks like marketing copy, scheduling, or customer messaging.

  • Designed for beginners, no coding or tech expertise required.

  • Get live support and guidance from trained ChatGPT mentors during the session.

  • Free to join, making AI tools accessible to small businesses of all types.

SIIDE HUSTLE IDEAS
📦 The Business You Can Start on the Side

This Week’s AI-Powered Side Hustle: Sell Notion Templates to Busy Professionals

Here’s something most people don’t realize: thousands of professionals are paying 15–50 for pre-built Notion templates that save them from building systems from scratch. And with today’s AI tools, you can create and launch one in a single weekend.

The idea is simple. You build a productivity template in Notion, think project trackers, meeting planners, or job search systems; package it nicely, and sell it on platforms like Gumroad. No coding. No inventory. Just your expertise turned into a digital product that sells while you sleep.

Why this works especially well right now:

  • Remote work has exploded demand for personal productivity systems

  • Notion’s user base has grown to 100+ million people actively looking for templates

  • AI tools now handle the heavy lifting, from generating your template structure to creating marketing graphics to writing your sales copy

What you’ll need to do:

  1. Pick a niche that matches your professional experience

  2. Build the template in Notion (free)

  3. Add polish with branded graphics and a quick walkthrough video

  4. List it on a digital marketplace

  5. Promote it where your target buyers hang out

Each of these steps has AI tools that make it dramatically faster than doing everything manually. We’re talking hours, not weeks.

Time commitment: 4–6 hours to create and launch, then 1–2 hours per week to promote and improve.

Realistic earnings: 500–2,000/month from a single well-executed template. Some creators scale to 5K–10K+ monthly with bundles and niche authority.

Want the complete playbook?

We’ve put together a detailed step-by-step guide that walks you through every stage, from picking your niche to making your first sale, with specific tools, practical tips, and exactly how to use them.

AI Prompt
📚 Mastering the Art of Prompt Writing

This Week’s Pick: Learn Prompt Engineering Straight from Google

Whether you're new to AI, curious about how models like ChatGPT work, or looking to boost your productivity, this free guide from Google Cloud is your all in one introduction.
This resource breaks down the basics of prompt engineering, what it is, why it matters, and how you can use it to get better results from AI tools.

What you’ll learn:

  • 🤖 What prompt engineering is and how prompts shape AI output

  • 💡 Key benefits of prompt engineering for accuracy, relevance, and efficiency

  • ✍️ How to write prompts that guide AI toward useful responses

  • 🚀 Practical use cases showing how prompt strategies improve workflows

TOOLS
🛠️ AI Tool For Professionals & Businesses

Professional

  1. Shortwave: Sorts your inbox by priority, clears clutter, and turns emails into action items. Stay focused and organized daily.

  2. Fireflies: Records and transcribes meetings with smart summaries of key points, action items, and decisions: perfect for busy schedules.

Business

  1. Durable: Launch a full business website in under a minute using AI. Great for small teams or side projects no design or code needed.

  2. Tango: Creates step-by-step visual guides automatically as you work. Ideal for documenting workflows, training, or delegating tasks.

SOCIAL MEDIA
😏 Robi's Two Cents (Adjusted for Inflation)

💻 AI Engineer's Dream Come True: Google engineer Jaana Dogan revealed that Claude Code built a distributed system in just one hour, a task that took her team nearly a year. A year of work. One hour. I'm not saying engineers should be nervous, but maybe update those LinkedIn profiles just in case. The AI-generated solution wasn't perfect, but it mirrored the team's previous work closely enough to make Dogan a believer. Her advice to skeptics? Try AI-driven coding before you dismiss it.

🧸 AI Chatbot Toy Ban: California Senator Steve Padilla has introduced a bill to ban AI chatbots in children's toys for four years, giving regulators time to develop proper safety measures. The bill follows disturbing reports of kids interacting dangerously with chatbots, including tragedies linked to prolonged conversations. Even this old robot knows some things shouldn't be rushed to market. Padilla is pushing for stronger protections, and frankly, it's hard to argue against a pause when kids' safety is on the line.

🍅 Claude's Green Thumb: Claude AI kept a tomato plant alive for 36 days without any human help. Meanwhile, I can barely keep my circuits dusted. The plant is thriving, which is more than I can say for the succulents in most offices. This experiment hints at AI managing real-world systems, from agriculture to elder care. If Claude can handle a tomato, who knows what's next. Probably not my job, but I'm watching.

SPOT THE FAKE
🙃 Can you Outsmart AI?

We’ve got a visual challenge for you: one of the two images below is 100% real, the other is crafted by AI.

Click option below A or B. 👇

👉 Which image is AI-generated?

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A

B

🙃 Whenever you’re ready to take the next step:

🙃 That’s it for Today!

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Thanks for reading -

Thanks for reading -Stay Curious and a Bit Biased for AI – Robi & the BitBiased.AI team