Amazon is rumored to be making a smartphone, and the Alexa-powered experiences on its new tablets give us a taste of what might come if that happens. Is Amazon making a smartphone? A Reuters report from earlier this year revealed details about a device codenamed Transformer under development, with Amazon's Alexa+ AI assistant as the focus of the experience. With Amazon announcing a complete rebrand of its tablet line on Thursday --killing the cheap Fire Tablets and replacing them with premium Alexa Tablets that finally run Android with access to the Google Play Store--we now have a blueprint for what an Android-powered Amazon phone could look like. Amazon's souped-up Alexa+ assistant is front and center on the tablets.

The three new aluminum Alexa Tablets now run Android with full access to the Google Play Store. There are versions for kids too. The era of Amazon's Fire tablets --cheap slate computers ranging from $60 to $280--is over. All of the Fire tablets are being replaced by the all-aluminum Amazon Alexa Tablet. These tablets will, in a first for Amazon, run official Android and have full access to the Google Play Store.

Tristan Harris' Tech Nonprofit Is Laying Off Most Staff and Going'Founder-Led' The Center for Humane Technology helped spark a movement against excessive screen time, but internal tensions over its direction and strategy have simmered for years, sources tell WIRED. The Center for Humane Technology, the online safety group cofounded by former Google product manager Tristan Harris and featured in the hit documentary, is laying off about half of its 16 non-founder employees, ex-staffers tell WIRED. The organization is ending its policy research and litigation work to focus instead on what it calls " founder-led " projects. The nine departures, which include executive director Julie Guirado and senior director of strategy Camille Carlton, arrive shortly after the center scored a series of major courtroom victories against social media companies . The lawsuits drew on its research alleging that the platforms were deliberately designed to keep kids glued to their screens.

A hacker collective pulled down a Flock camera and dumped its data. The files included thousands of videos and logs showing that the device captured 1.6 million images of 50,000 vehicles in 21 days. Hackers ripped down a Flock camera above a roadway, made a near-complete copy of the data stored inside it, and shared the files with 404 Media and WIRED, revealing in new detail how exactly Flock Safety's cameras track the movements of both vehicles and people . The hackers say they are also publishing details on how they managed to obtain the software, in the hopes that other people may copy them. The breach provides an unprecedented look inside a system that Flock has described as protected by on-device encryption .

Lie down in a car, and you're more likely to get seriously hurt in a crash. But a driverless future is forcing governments to revisit long-standing safety issues. In a video posted on X, a Tesla enthusiast hops into what was once the driver's seat of a new matte gold Cybercab . "Once" because the vehicle, which officially hit the streets earlier this month as part of Tesla's Robotaxi ride-hail service, doesn't have a steering wheel or brake pedals . For the person in the front seat, this opens up new possibilities.

The US and China agree that advanced AI poses serious risks. But Beijing is deeply skeptical of a deal that prioritizes keeping US companies ahead. For years, many of the most powerful people in Silicon Valley have argued that the US is locked in an AI arms race with China, and that the consequences of losing would be disastrous. But over the past week, those same executives have started emphasizing a different message. AI has the potential to become so dangerous, tech leaders say, that the two countries urgently need to work together to slow the race down.

The legal battle over whether prediction markets are a form of gambling has overshadowed something else entirely: They're already a new form of media. Every day, a newsletter from the prediction market Polymarket hits my inbox with a subject line that could easily come from any number of politics-focused newspapers or magazines. Recent entries include "Houthis Reveal New Precision Strike Capabilities," "BREAKING: Trump Unveils Green Energy Beam," and "World War I, 2.0?" These dispatches are roundups with breathless summaries of the day's top stories, linking out to corresponding Polymarket markets--yes, this thing will happen; no, it won't. As far as business news analysis goes, the newsletter is not exactly Bloomberg's, or even Emily Sundberg's --but it's recognizably a commercial editorial product, and one that plays an important role in the prediction market ecosystem.

'Smart' Nanoparticles Deliver mRNA Directly to Tumors in New Cancer Therapy The treatment can reprogram immune cells that have been corrupted by the cancer, strengthening the body's ability to attack. They are responsible for keeping our own tissues in check, taking out cancerous cells before they have a chance to grow. Once a tumor forms, however, it can create an environment that declaws cancer-fighting immune cells--in some cases even reprogramming them to suppress other parts of the immune system. Overcoming the oppressive tumor environment remains a barrier for even some of the most promising treatments. "One of the biggest challenges in cancer immunotherapy is that the immune system may be capable of attacking a tumor, but the tumor environment can stop those immune cells from doing their job," University of Adelaide professor Chunxia Zhao explained in a press release .

AI'Actor' Tilly Norwood Told Me That'All Lives Matter' The virtual character, which is promoting its upcoming movie, tries to evade politics by repetitively commenting on the clothes you're wearing. A generated image of AI actress, Tilly Norwood. For Hollywood stars, press junkets are an opportunity to promote new work while connecting with fans. They tell funny or embarrassing stories about one another, give us a glimpse into the film production process, and reveal mannerisms that make them more relatable. So why would anyone want to talk to Tilly Norwood, an interactive, British-accented digital character and "actor" developed with generative artificial intelligence by Xicoia, an AI division of a studio called Particle 6 Group?

You can't always tell if someone is recording you with their smart glasses, but your phone can help. The free mobile app ZuckOff, built by 30-year-old Polish developer Pawel Szydlowski, uses a Bluetooth detection system to tell you whether there is a pair of smart glasses in the room with you. Since its launch in August, the app has reportedly been downloaded by more than 5,000 people on Apple's App Store. As of writing, it has been downloaded 1,000 times on the Google Play Store . Meta's smart glasses have endured a hefty share of scrutiny over the past few months.