The author shares their initial concerns about privacy and data usage when it comes to voice assistants, particularly Amazon Alexa.They mention using Apple's Siri due to Apple's commitment to privacy and the lack of targeted ads based on conversations with the voice assistant.The author highlights the general lack of awareness among people regarding the constant monitoring of voice assistants for wake words.Despite their concerns, the author decides to try out the new Amazon Alexa+ and plans to closely manage the privacy and ad targeting settings.