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Four new Echo devices debut with Amazon’s next-gen Alexa+

Amazon has unveiled four new Echo devices powered by Alexa+, its next-generation AI assistant. The lineup includes Echo Dot Max, Echo Studio, Echo Show 8, and Echo Show 11, all designed for personalised, ambient AI-driven experiences. Buyers will automatically gain access to Alexa+.

At the core are the new AZ3 and AZ3 Pro chips, which feature AI accelerators, powering advanced models for speech, vision, and ambient interaction. The Echo Dot Max, priced at $99.99, features a two-speaker system with triple the bass, while the Echo Studio, priced at $219.99, adds spatial audio and Dolby Atmos.

The Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11 introduce HD displays, enhanced audio, and intelligent sensing capabilities. Both feature 13-megapixel cameras that adapt to lighting and personalise interactions. The Echo Show 8 will cost $179.99, while the Echo Show 11 is priced at $219.99.

Beyond hardware, Alexa+ brings deeper conversational skills and more intelligent daily support, spanning home organisation, entertainment, health, wellness, and shopping. Amazon also introduced the Alexa+ Store, a platform for discovering third-party services and integrations.

The Echo Dot Max and Echo Studio will launch on October 29, while the Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11 arrive on November 12. Amazon positions the new portfolio as a leap toward making ambient AI experiences central to everyday living.

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Doctors and nurses outperform AI in patient triage

Human staff are more accurate than AI in assessing patient urgency in emergency departments, according to research presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress in Barcelona.

The study, led by Dr Renata Jukneviciene of Vilnius University, tested ChatGPT 3.5 against clinicians and nurses using real case studies.

Doctors achieved an overall accuracy of 70.6% and nurses 65.5%, compared with 50.4% for AI. Doctors also outperformed AI in surgical and therapeutic cases, while nurses were more reliable overall.

AI did show strength in recognising the most critical cases, surpassing nurses in both accuracy and specificity. Researchers suggested that AI may help prioritise life-threatening situations and support less experienced staff instead of acting as a replacement.

However, over-triaging by AI could lead to inefficiencies, making human oversight essential.

Future studies will explore newer AI models, ECG interpretation, and integration into nurse training, particularly in mass-casualty scenarios.

Commenting on the findings, Dr Barbra Backus from Amsterdam said AI has value in certain areas, such as interpreting scans, but it cannot yet replace trained staff for triage decisions.

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UK users lose access to Imgur amid watchdog probe

Imgur has cut off access for UK users after regulators warned its parent company, MediaLab AI, of a potential fine over child data protection.

Visitors to the platform since 30 September have been met with a notice saying that content is unavailable in their region, with embedded Imgur images on other sites also no longer visible.

The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) began investigating the platform in March, questioning whether it complied with data laws and the Children’s Code.

The regulator said it had issued MediaLab with a notice of intent to fine the company following provisional findings. Officials also emphasised that leaving the UK would not shield Imgur from responsibility for any past breaches.

Some users speculated that the withdrawal was tied to new duties under the Online Safety Act, which requires platforms to check whether visitors are over 18 before allowing access to harmful content.

However, both the ICO and Ofcom stated that Imgur decided on a commercial choice. Other MediaLab services, such as Kik Messenger, continue to operate in the UK with age verification measures in place.

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Claude Sonnet 4.5 expands developer options with rollbacks and longer-running agents

Anthropic has released Claude Sonnet 4.5, featuring a suite of new upgrades designed to enhance coding, automation, and creativity. The update enhances Claude Code, extends Computer Use, and introduces experimental tools to boost productivity and facilitate real-world applications.

Claude Code now features checkpoints, allowing developers to roll back projects to earlier versions. The Claude API has also been expanded, supporting longer-running agents to generate files such as slides, spreadsheets, and documents directly within chats.

The model’s Computer Use function has been strengthened, enabling agents to operate applications for up to 30 hours autonomously. Anthropic says Claude Sonnet 4.5 built a Slack-style app with 11,000 lines of code in one session.

A new feature, Imagine with Claude, focuses on generating creative software. The system produced a Shakespeare-themed desktop with customised scripts and performance schedules from a single prompt, highlighting its versatility.

Anthropic has maintained steady pricing for free and premium users, positioning Sonnet 4.5 as its most practical and feature-rich release yet, combining reliability with expanded creative and developer-friendly tools.

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Athens Democracy Forum highlights AI challenge for democracy

The 2025 Athens Democracy Forum opened in Athens with a dedicated session on AI, ethics and democracy, co-organised by Kathimerini in partnership with The New York Times.

Held at the Athens Conservatoire, the event placed AI at the heart of discussions on the future of democratic governance.

Speakers underlined the urgency of addressing systemic challenges created by AI.

Achilleas Tsaltas, president of the Democracy & Culture Foundation, described AI as the central concern of the era. At the same time, Greece’s minister of digital governance, Dimitris Papastergiou, warned that AI should remain a servant instead of becoming a master.

Axel Dauchez, founder of Make.org, pointed to the conflict between democratic and authoritarian governance models and called for stronger civic education.

The opening panel brought together academics such as Oxford’s Stathis Kalyvas and Yale’s Hélène Landemore, who examined how AI affects liberal democracies, global inequalities and political accountability.

Discussions concluded with a debate on Aristotle’s ethics as a framework for evaluating opportunities and risks in AI development, moderated by Stephen Dunbar-Johnson of The New York Times.

The session continues with panels on the AI transformation blueprint of Greece, regulation of AI, and the emerging concept of AI sovereignty as a business model.

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Asahi cyberattack halts shipments in Japan

Japanese brewing giant Asahi has suffered a cyberattack that triggered a systems failure, disrupting shipping and customer services in Japan. The company stressed that European operations, including the UK, remain unaffected.

Order and shipment processes in its domestic market have been suspended, alongside customer service functions. Asahi apologised to customers and business partners, saying the cause is under investigation and there is no clear timeline for recovery.

The brewer is the largest in Japan, owning global beer brands such as Peroni, Pilsner Urquell, and Grolsch. It operates Fuller’s in the UK, which produces London Pride and Cornish Orchards cider.

Asahi has identified cyberattacks as a key business risk, with concerns over cash flow and brand damage. The incident comes as several major UK companies, including Harrods and Jaguar Land Rover, have also faced recent cyber breaches.

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Anthropic unveils Claude Sonnet 4.5 as the best AI coding model yet

Anthropic has released Claude Sonnet 4.5, its most advanced AI model yet, claiming state-of-the-art results in coding benchmarks. The company says the model can build production-ready applications, rather than limited prototypes, making it more reliable than earlier versions.

Claude Sonnet 4.5 is available through the Claude API and chatbot at the same price as its predecessor, with $3 per million input tokens and $15 per million output tokens.

Early enterprise tests suggest the model can autonomously code for extended periods, integrate databases, secure domains, and perform compliance checks such as SOC 2 audits.

Industry leaders have endorsed the launch, with Cursor and Windsurf calling it a new generation of AI coding models. Anthropic also emphasises more substantial alignment, noting reduced risks of deception and sycophancy, and improved resistance to prompt injection attacks.

Alongside the model, the company has introduced a Claude Agent SDK to let developers build customised agents, and launched ‘Imagine with Claude’, a research preview showing real-time code generation.

A release that highlights the intense competition in AI, with Anthropic pushing frequent updates to keep pace with rivals such as OpenAI, which has recently gained ground on coding performance with GPT-5.

Claude Sonnet 4.5 follows just weeks after Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4.1, underlining the rapid development cycles driving the sector.

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NSW expands secure AI platform NSWEduChat across schools

Following successful school trials, the New South Wales Department of Education has confirmed the broader rollout of its in-house generative AI platform, NSWEduChat.

The tool, developed within the department’s Sydney-based cloud environment, prioritises privacy, security, and equity while tailoring content to the state’s educational context. It is aligned with the NSW AI Assessment Framework.

The trial began in 16 schools in Term 1, 2024, and then expanded to 50 schools in Term 2. Teachers reported efficiency gains, and students showed strong engagement. Access was extended to all staff in Term 4, 2024, with Years 5–12 students due to follow in Term 4, 2025.

Key features include a privacy-first design, built-in safeguards, and a student mode that encourages critical thinking by offering guided prompts rather than direct answers. Staff can switch between staff and student modes for lesson planning and preparation.

All data is stored in Australia under departmental control. NSWEduChat is free and billed as the most cost-effective AI tool for schools. Other systems are accessible but not endorsed; staff must follow safety rules, while students are limited to approved tools.

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Greece considers social media ban for under-16s, says Mitsotakis

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has signalled that Greece may consider banning social media use for children under 16.

He raised the issue during a UN event in New York, hosted by Australia, titled ‘Protecting Children in the Digital Age’, held as part of the 80th UN General Assembly.

Mitsotakis emphasised that any restrictions would be coordinated with international partners, warning that the world is carrying out the largest uncontrolled experiment on children’s minds through unchecked social media exposure.

He cautioned that the long-term effects are uncertain but unlikely to be positive.

The prime minister pointed to new national initiatives, such as the ban on mobile phone use in schools, which he said has transformed the educational experience.

He also highlighted the recent launch of parco.gov.gr, which provides age verification and parental control tools to support families in protecting children online.

Mitsotakis stressed that difficulties enforcing such measures cannot serve as an excuse for inaction, urging global cooperation to address the growing risks children face in the digital age.

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AI agents complete first secure transaction with Mastercard and PayOS

PayOS and Mastercard have completed the first live agentic payment using a Mastercard Agentic Token, marking a pivotal step for AI-driven commerce. The demonstration, powered by Mastercard Agent Pay, extends the tokenisation infrastructure that already underpins mobile payments and card storage.

The system enables AI agents to initiate payments while enforcing consent, authentication, and fraud checks, thereby forming what Mastercard refers to as the trust layer. It shows how card networks are preparing for agentic transactions to become central to digital commerce.

Mastercard’s Chief Digital Officer, Pablo Fourez, stated that the company is developing a secure and interoperable ecosystem for AI-driven payments, underpinned by tokenized credentials. The framework aims to prepare for a future where the internet itself supports native agentic commerce.

For PayOS, the milestone represents a shift from testing to commercialisation. Chief executive Johnathan McGowan said the company is now onboarding customers and offering tools for fraud prevention, payments risk management, and improved user experiences.

The achievement signals a broader transition as agentic AI moves from pilot to real-world deployment. If security models remain effective, agentic payments could soon differentiate platforms, merchants, and issuers, embedding autonomy into digital transactions.

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