Would you like Siri more if it had a face? This week, we’re talking about AI assistants getting smarter… and uncomfortably personal. The Verge’s Jennifer Pattison Tuohy joins the show to talk about her early tests of Alexa Plus, which is finally AI-powered and a lot more capable. Jake shares his uncomfortable first interaction with Grok’s anime girlfriend. And Waveform cohost David Imel is here to talk about Sony’s RX1R III and other premium “compact” cameras. Finally, the THUNDER ROUND is back. New, improved, and still loud. #Vergecast #Podcast 0:00 Intro 00:40 AI Assistants: Alexa Plus and Beyond 02:56 The Future of Smart Homes with AI 25:32 Grok: The AI Girlfriend and Beyond 38:03 Sony's New Camera: A Decade in the Making 43:39 Introduction to the Camera Discussion 43:52 Camera Pricing and Market Comparison 45:04 Technical Specifications and Features 45:49 User Experience and Practicality 48:55 Target Audience and Market Positioning 52:08 Camera Trade-offs and Market Alternatives 57:00 Future of Camera Technology 01:02:48 Thunder Round Introduction 01:07:08 Chrome OS and Android Integration 01:15:21 IKEA's New Smart Home Products 01:17:44 IKEA's Smart Home Evolution 01:18:07 Matter and Thread Integration 01:19:16 Personal Experiences with IKEA Smart Devices 01:22:45 Beeper's New Features and Subscription Models 01:29:17 Google's Nest Aware Price Hike 01:35:59 New Emoji Releases 01:45:06 Conclusion Subscribe: http://goo.gl/G5RXGs Like The Verge on Facebook: https://goo.gl/2P1aGc Follow on Twitter: https://goo.gl/XTWX61 Follow on Instagram: https://goo.gl/7ZeLvX Follow on TikTok: http://bit.ly/42VeCVU Watch The Vergecast on YouTube: https://bit.ly/40RFRkg The Vergecast Podcast: https://bit.ly/3WQDexZ Decoder with Nilay Patel: http://apple.co/3v29nDc More about our podcasts: https://www.theverge.com/podcasts Read More: http://www.theverge.com Community guidelines: http://bit.ly/2D0hlAv Wallpapers from The Verge: https://bit.ly/2xQXYJr Shop our Verge merch store here: https://bit.ly/4kPCmEc Subscribe to The Verge: https://bit.ly/3FT6n5S Subscribe to The Vergecast on YouTube, new episodes on Tuesday and Friday: https://bit.ly/3I6nJtz If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may receive a commission without exerting any influence on editorial content. For more information about our ethics policy, visit: https://www.theverge.com/ethics-state...