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Month: September 2025

Amazon unveils new generation of AI-powered Kindle and other devices

Amazon unveils new generation of AI-powered Kindle and other devices

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By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO, AP Retail Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Online juggernaut Amazon Inc. unveiled its next generation of Kindle, Ring and Echo devices, among other gadgets, that are all powered by artificial intelligence and connected to Alexa+, its AI-infused personal assistant, which made its debut in February.

The lineup, announced at a presentation and showcase in New York, includes new cameras for its Ring video monitoring device with a new AI facial recognition feature that allows users to register friends and family and notify them who is at the front door.

Amazon unveiled four new Echo devices revamped with Alexa+ that serve up personalized insights like whether the user left the front door unlocked after midnight. The Seattle-based company also announced a series of Alexa+-infused Fire TVs that offer more personalized searches like finding a specific scene in a movie or getting commentary about last night’s football game.

Panos Panay, senior vice president of devices and services at... Panos Panay, senior vice president of devices and services at Amazon, speaks during an Amazon event in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) Panos Panay, senior vice president of devices and services at... Panos Panay, senior vice president of devices and services at Amazon, speaks during an Amazon event in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

1 of 2 Panos Panay, senior vice president of devices and services at Amazon, speaks during an Amazon event in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

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The presentation Tuesday was the first big product event for Panos Panay, who joined Amazon in 2023 to head up the company’s devices and services teams after a 19-year career at Microsoft where he served as chief product officer. read more

DoorDash is expanding into restaurant reservations and robot deliveries

DoorDash is expanding into restaurant reservations and robot deliveries

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By DEE-ANN DURBIN and MICHAEL LIEDTKE, AP Business Writers

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — DoorDash is expanding its offerings, adding restaurant reservations and robot deliveries in some U.S. markets.

The San Francisco-based company, already the largest U.S. delivery provider, announced its expansion plans Tuesday, saying it wants to bring even more business to the merchants it works with and stay ahead of ever-increasing customer demand. DoorDash’s total orders jumped 20% to 761 million in the second quarter of this year.

DoorDash’s robots will bring new challenges to the company as it takes on the responsibility for storing and maintaining the devices. But DoorDash Co-Founder Stanley Tang said the company needs more delivery options to help fuel its future growth.

“The shift to autonomy is happening right now, and DoorDash is uniquely positioned to do something like this,” Tang said Monday during an interview at the company’s San Francisco headquarters. “We need to find ways to keep up with the demand. The complexity of the deliveries being made on our platform is increasing too.” read more

Spotify founder steps down from CEO role

Spotify founder steps down from CEO role

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LONDON (AP) — Spotify said Tuesday that founder Daniel Ek is stepping down as CEO to become the executive chairman, in an announcement that sent its shares sliding in premarket trading.

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The Stockholm-based streaming giant said Ek will be replaced by two lieutenants who will become co-CEOs: Chief Product and Technology Officer Gustav Söderström and Chief Business Officer Alex Norström. The pair, who are also currently copresidents, will transition into their new jobs on Jan. 1 and will report to Ek. read more

AI is transforming how software engineers do their jobs. Just don’t call it ‘vibe-coding’

AI is transforming how software engineers do their jobs. Just don’t call it ‘vibe-coding’

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By MATT O’BRIEN

One of the hottest markets in the artificial intelligence industry is selling chatbots that write computer code.

Some call it “vibe-coding” because it encourages an AI coding assistant to do the grunt work as human software developers work through big ideas. Others dislike that term. But there’s no question that these tools are transforming the job experience for many tech workers amid an intense rivalry between leading AI companies to make the best one.

“The essence of it is you’re no longer in the nitty-gritty syntax,” said Cat Wu, project manager of Anthropic’s Claude Code. “You’re not looking at every single line of code. You’re more trying to communicate this higher-level goal of what you want to accomplish.”

Cat Wu, Claude Code product manager, is photographed at Anthropic headquarters in San Francisco, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Cat Wu, Claude Code product manager, is photographed at Anthropic headquarters in San Francisco, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Wu added, however, that ”vibe-coding” is not a term she uses. “We definitely want to make it very clear that the responsibility, at the end of the day, is in the hands of the engineers.”

Anthropic launched the latest version of its flagship Claude chatbot on Monday, boasting that Claude Sonnet 4.5 will be the “world’s best” for coding and other complex tasks. read more

Attorney: Universal Stardust Racers coaster had history of complaints before Zavala died

Attorney: Universal Stardust Racers coaster had history of complaints before Zavala died

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Attorney Ben Crump and the family of Kevin Rodriguez Zavala on Tuesday angrily accused theme park giant Universal Studios Orlando of ignoring complaints from riders about the safety and lack of restraints on its new fast-paced rollercoaster Stardust Racers at Epic Universe.

“We believe that there is something wrong with the design of this ride,” Crump said. “They tried to blame the victims. They didn’t want to say, ‘Well, maybe we have to go back and critically assess the design of this ride.’”

Zavala lost consciousness while riding Stardust Racers with his girlfriend on Sept. 17 and later died. The Orange County medical examiner ruled the death as accidental and the result of “multiple blunt impact injuries.”

Ana Zavala, mother of Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, speaks during a press conference in downtown Orlando, Florida, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. Zavala died Sept. 17 from blunt impact injuries after riding the Stardust Racers roller coaster at Universal's Epic Universe. (Spectrum News 13)
Ana Zavala, mother of Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, speaks during a press conference in downtown Orlando, Florida, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. Zavala died Sept. 17 from blunt impact injuries after riding the Stardust Racers roller coaster at Universal’s Epic Universe. (Spectrum News 13)

Universal President Karen Irwin released a memo days after Zavala’s death stating the ride “functioned as intended” and park employees correctly followed procedures.

But Crump said the Zavala family is distraught to learn that previous riders complained about the rollercoaster, which reaches speeds of up to 62 mph and rises 133 feet. read more