The high stakes for AI Alexa

AI will fix everything, right? In this episode, friend of The Verge (and Waveform co-host) David Imel joins Nilay and David to talk all about Alexa Plus, and the AI-powered voice assistant Amazon thinks can do everything from turn on your lights to order your friend an Uber. The hosts also talk about the other gadgets of the week, from the wild new Sigma BF camera to the boring iPhone 16E. Finally, in the lightning round, they talk about TikTok becoming YouTube and YouTube becoming TikTok and Instagram becoming YouTube and TikTok, plus the latest in Brendan Carr being a dummy and what's coming next from Automattic, DOGE, and everything. Further reading: Amazon Alexa Plus Event 2025: live updates and product announcements Amazon announces AI upgrade for Alexa Amazon’s Alexa Plus’ AI upgrades cost $19.99, but it’s free with Prime Amazon is launching Alexa.com and new app for Alexa Plus Alexa engagement continues to grow. Alexa Plus leaves behind Amazon’s earliest Echo devices Sigma’s BF is a minimalist full-frame camera with no memory card slot iPhone 16E review: Eh, it’s alright Framework’s first tiny Desktop beautifully straddles the line between cute and badass More than 1 billion…