Amazon Unveils Alexa+, Powered by Generative A.I.

Amazon unveils revamped Alexa with AI features for $19.99 per month, free for Prime members

Amazon has been working for years to overhaul Alexa with generative AI features as it faced rising competition from OpenAI's ChatGPT and other chatbots.

CNBC - 3h

What we know about Alexa+ — Amazon’s new AI-powered voice assistant — and how the price compares to Google Gemini, ChatGPT

Amazon has revealed its new Alexa+ service, but it comes with a catch.

MarketWatch - 3h

Amazon Debuts New Alexa Voice Assistant With AI Overhaul

It’s called Alexa+, and the idea behind it is that generative AI can take the voice assistant to the next level.

Inc. - 4h

Amazon's Souped-Up Alexa+ Arrives Next Month

Alexa+ will cost $20 a month but will be free for Amazon Prime members. It'll eventually arrive on nearly every Alexa device the company has shipped.

Wired - 4h

I’m Not Convinced Ethical Generative AI Currently Exists

WIRED’s advice columnist considers whether some AI tools are more ethical than others, and if developers can make AI wiser.

Wired - 6d

Call Of Duty Uses Generative AI For Some Content, Activision Admits

An update to the Call of Duty HQ page on Steam confirms that Activision's development teams do in fact use "generative AI tools" as a means to "help develop some in-game assets.". About a year ago, ...

GameSpot - 1d

Alibaba makes AI video generation model free to use globally

Open-source AI tech has been thrown into the spotlight since Chinese firm DeepSeek rattled global markets in January.

CNBC - 12h

What an AI-generated video of Gaza reveals about Trump tactics

US President Donald Trump sparked a social media frenzy when he posted a video of Gaza generated by artificial intelligence on his site Truth Social. Marianna Spring has been analysing the online ...

BBC News - 3h

Xbox Pushes Ahead With Muse, a New Generative AI Model. Devs Say ‘Nobody Will Want This’

One developer responds to the release of Muse: “We are implicitly empowering a class of people who own these tools and don’t give a fuck about how they reshape our lives.”

Wired - Feb. 19

TVs at HUD Played an AI-Generated Video of Donald Trump Kissing Elon Musk’s Feet

On Monday morning, TV sets at the headquarters of the Department of Housing and Urban Development played the seemingly AI-generated video on loop, along with the words “LONG LIVE THE REAL KING.”

Wired - 2d

Hume launches new text-to-speech model Octave that generates custom AI voices with adjustable emotions

Hume emphasized its Octave TTS pricing is around half the cost of the competing offering from AI voice creation startup ElevenLabs.

VentureBeat - 9h

Amazon bets savings from automation can help fuel AI spending boom

US tech giant expected to spend as much as $25bn on warehouse automation in broader efficiency drive

Financial Times - 16h

Eli Lilly's stock recovery chugs along, and Amazon's AI strategy adds a new pillar

Every weekday, the Investing Club releases the Homestretch; an actionable afternoon update just in time for the last hour of trading.

CNBC - 2h

Medical training’s AI leap: How agentic RAG, open-weight LLMs and real-time case insights are shaping a new generation of doctors at NYU Langone

NYU Langone has built an LLM research companion and medical advisor, and is pioneering what it calls AI-driven “precision medical education."

VentureBeat - 6d

The cyber insurance reckoning: Why AI-powered attacks are breaking coverage (and what comes next)

Cybersecurity insurance is increasingly critical, particularly as AI transforms (and simplifies) hackers' methodologies.

VentureBeat - 6d

Adobe launches first Photoshop mobile app and it has amazing Firefly AI-powered object detection, editing, and effects

Photoshop mobile includes Firefly-powered gen AI features like Generative Fill and Generative Expand and has mobile-adjusted touch targets.

VentureBeat - 1d

AI’s power demands spark new joint GE Vernova–NRG electricity plant project

NRG flags need for new partnerships to fuel power development.

MarketWatch - 6h

Google makes Gemini Code Assist free with 180,000 code completions per month as AI-powered dev race heats up

Google’s decision to provide a free version with significantly higher usage limits positions Gemini Code Assist as a compelling choice.

VentureBeat - 1d

Alexa relaunched with ambition to be 'your best digital friend'

It is available from March and included in a Prime subscription - or $19.99 to non-members.

BBC News - 4h

Qualcomm unveils Dragonwing brand for enterprise tech solutions

Qualcomm unveiled its new Qualcomm Dragonwing brand for its products in the industrial, embedded IoT, enterprise and networking markets. Don McGuire, chief marketing officer at Qualcomm, said the ...

VentureBeat - 1d

Framework unveils new repairable and upgradeable laptops and desktop

Framework launched new versions of its 12-inch and 13-inch laptops as well as a new desktop computer today -- all with repairable and upgradeable options.

VentureBeat - 19h

Apple Unveils Lower-Priced iPhone 16e With A.I. Features

The iPhone 16e is the first update to the company’s most affordable model since 2022, but carries a higher price tag of $599.

The New York Times - Feb. 19

Logitech G unveils PowerPlay 2 wireless charging pad for gaming mice

Logitech G has unveiled PowerPlay 2, a wireless charging mouse pad targeted at recharging gaming mice as you play.

VentureBeat - 1d

What did we learn from Ferguson's Rangers unveiling?

Barry Ferguson speaks about his expectations, coaching staff and route to the job at his first media conference as interim Rangers manager.

BBC News - 1d

Trump fires top general in Pentagon shake-up

The new defence secretary earlier accused Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff CQ Brown of having a "woke" focus.

BBC News - 4d

The Latest: Polls open in Germany in crucial general election

German voters are heading to the polls for a national election

ABC News - 3d

Trump wants generals involved in Afghanistan withdrawal fired

President Trump said “every single one” of the military generals involved in the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan should be fired, seated next to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a Cabinet ...

The Hill - 1h

Amazon is taking control of the James Bond movie franchise

Amazon MGM Studios, the tech giant's film unit, plans to take "creative control" of the James Bond series under a new deal with the franchise's longtime producers.

NBC News - 6d

Amazon surpasses Walmart in revenue for the first time

Walmart reported $180.5 billion in sales during the most recent quarter while Amazon reeled in $187.8 billion.

CNBC - 6d

Neighbours cancelled for second time as Amazon backs out

Long-running Australian soap will be ‘resting’ from December, after streaming giant withdraws from production. Neighbours: the 10 best memories, from Scott and Charlene to Madge’s ghost The ...

The Guardian - 5d

Maduro surrenders to Trump but clings to power

Nicolas Maduro, the communist Venezuelan tyrant, has offered to the new Trump administration fully paid return flights for migrants, deported of Tren de Aragua criminals, increased oil production, ...

The Hill - 3d

Trump Cuts Target Next Generation of Scientists and Public Health Leaders

A core group of so-called disease detectives, who track outbreaks, was apparently spared. But other young researchers are out of jobs.

The New York Times - Feb. 18

ESPN plans to add user-generated content to upcoming 'flagship' streaming service

ESPN plans to add user-generated content features in its upcoming streaming application, which will cost either $25 or $30 per month, sources say.

CNBC - 6d

Navy seeks new generation of skilled workers to ramp up submarine production

While the president is cutting jobs, a search is on for a new generation of workers to build nuclear submarines. The Navy has ordered 29 nuclear subs, and the company that makes them has school ...

CBS News - 5d

ChatGPT-generated op-eds appeared in mainstream Latin American media outlets

Chinese propagandists used ChatGPT to write and translate op-eds that they successfully planted in Spanish-language news outlets last fall, researchers said Friday.

NBC News - 5d

Jaguars agree to terms to hire Rams' James Gladstone as new general manager

Gladstone has spent the past four years as the Rams' director of scouting strategy.

Yahoo Sports - 5d

Retired general says Trump Pentagon firings 'extremely destabilizing'

Retired Gen. George Casey said Sunday that recent Pentagon firings by President Trump are “extremely destabilizing” to the military. “That’s extremely destabilizing at — at a time that’s a lot ...

The Hill - 2d

Trump’s Frustration With Generals Led to Picking Dan Caine for Joint Chiefs Chairman

Lt. Gen. Dan Caine, a retired three-star Air Force officer, quickly moved up the list of candidates to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The New York Times - 2d