You probably know Alexa as the voice that sets timers, dims the lights and plays music, but after testing Alexa+ for a few weeks, I’m discovering new features nearly every day.

Recently, I discovered that upgraded Alexa has a creative side and can now generate realistic images on the fly. In my testing, I was impressed by the speed and ease of generating the images, that I couldn’t help but do a side-by-side image generation comparison with ChatGPT.

Whether you ask for a watercolor of a cozy cabin, a photorealistic puppy or a design mockup, Alexa+ responds in seconds, then texts the image directly to your phone. It’s surprisingly intuitive, shockingly fast and potentially a game-changer for everyday users.

Here’s what happened when I tested Alexa+ versus ChatGPT and the images each bot generated.

1. Robot family having dinner

(Image credit: Future)

Prompt: “A friendly robot mom, dad and two robot kids sitting at a kitchen table eating spaghetti, surrounded by retro 1950s-style decor, with warm lighting and a dog robot under the table.”

ChatGPT automatically went with a cartoonish image of a robot family. It nailed almost everything except for the robot dog and opted for a realistic-looking dog instead.

Alexa+ presented a modern-looking image of a robot family also with a “real” dog. It missed aspects of the prompt such as “two robot kids” and the style of the kitchen.

Winner: ChatGPT wins for accurately following the prompt.

2. Sunday morning at the local farmers market

(Image credit: Future)

Prompt: “People browsing colorful fruit and vegetable stands at an outdoor farmers market. A woman holds a bouquet of sunflowers, a man samples cheese, and kids eat popsicles. Background includes food trucks and string lights.”

ChatGPT once again hit every detail of the prompt, even if it’s hard to tell the man is sampling cheese.

Alexa+ offered a more diverse and more realistic look at a farmer’s market, though it’s not completely obvious if the man in the image is sampling cheese.

Winner: Alexa+ wins for an image that better captures the energy and diversity of a farmer’s market.

3. Rainy school day

(Image credit: Future)

Prompt: “Cars lined up outside an elementary school on a gray rainy morning. Parents holding umbrellas hustle their kids to the entrance. Backpacks, rain boots, and puddles all around. View from a car window with raindrops.”

ChatGPT created an image that is storybook and highlights the mood of a rainy school day. The backpacks in the puddles is a glaringly unrealistic mistake.

Alexa+ delivered a photorealistic image that also captures the mood, but looks less like it is a view from a car and doesn’t capture the hustle that the prompt asks for.

Winner: ChatGPT wins for following the prompt and better storytelling with this image.

4. Dog and toddler in a cozy living room

(Image credit: Future)

Prompt: “A golden retriever sitting next to a toddler on a cozy living room rug. The toddler is offering a cracker, and the dog gently takes it. Toys and a sippy cup are scattered around. Natural window light, soft and heartwarming.”

ChatGPT used soft, warm lighting in an image that evokes a heartwarming, almost storybook-like feel, which best fits in line with the prompt request “soft and heartwarming” descriptor.

Alexa+ made a great photo that looks very natural and realistic, but it’s missing details such as the sippy cup and the dog is not taking the cracker. While it may arguably be a better image, it loses because of missed aspects of the prompt.

Winner: ChatGPT wins for the best composition match, setting and details.

5. Busy crosswalk in the city

(Image credit: Future)

Prompt: “A diverse group of people crossing a city street in the early morning — a woman in heels with a coffee, a jogger with headphones, a dad pushing a stroller, and a teen on a scooter. Background includes traffic lights, brick buildings, and steam rising from a manhole. Overcast sky, everyday realism.”

ChatGPT captured all of the details within the prompt but delivered a messy and cluttered image that does not look real and one I wouldn’t use for anything.

Alexa+ delivered a polished image that highlights the prompt, but misses several details.

Winner: Draw. ChatGPT hit every detail of the prompt, but at the cost of an unrealistic crosswalk situation. Alexa+ made an image that better captures the vibe of a busy city but misses out on key details of the prompt.

Overall winner: ChatGPT

After five rounds of head-to-head testing, one thing is clear: ChatGPT might take a more whimsical or storybook approach, but it consistently nails the specifics.

However, I was pleasantly surprised by Alexa+. It generated refined images that often looked more realistic than ChatGPT that are instantly shareable. And it was faster than ChatGPT, too. But in most cases, Alexa+ fell short when it came to following the actual prompt.

Whether it’s missing a sippy cup, skipping key characters, or glossing over a specific setting, the details matter, especially when you’re generating visuals with a purpose.

So, while Alexa+ has potential and impressive speed, it still loses out to ChatGPT when prompt accuracy counts. My suggestion to users is to use Alexa+ for speed and realism, but be ready to tweak any resulting image with follow up prompts.