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GPT-4.5, Alexa+, and the AI Assistants That Just Can’t Assist | 🤖 Practical AI News
Another week, another AI showdown. OpenAI just dropped GPT-4.5, Amazon upgraded Alexa+, Siri is still setting timers
This week, we break down:
🔹 GPT-4.5 — Doesn’t break any benchmarks yet still has some visible improvements.
🔹 Maya or Miles your AI BFF (or BF/GF) Is “Her” movie reality already?
🔹 Alexa+ — Finally an actual assistant, or just another overpriced talking clock?
🔹 Apple Intelligence — Siri, wake up! Oh wait, you’re delayed until 2027
Welcome to Practical AI News weekly where we sift through the AI madness so you don’t have to! Let’s break it down.
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🚀 GPT-4.5: Smarter, Faster… But the Best?
OpenAI just launched GPT-4.5, calling it their most user-friendly model yet. Unlike “reasoning” models (o1, o3-mini) that pause to think, GPT-4.5 fires back instantly in conversational mode -but is speed worth the trade-off?
🎭 What it does best:
✔️ Conversations feel more natural & human-like
✔️ Better at detecting emotions (Finally, an AI that gets sarcasm)
✔️ Creative writing & chatbots
🧮 What it’s NOT great for:
❌ Complex reasoning (Stick to o3-mini for hardcore math & coding)
❌ Solving novel problems step by step
❌ Sustainability — this model ate all OpenAIs GPUs, and it’s only now rolling out to your Plus subscription.
🔥 Hot take? If you’re looking for an AI that feels like your smartest, most empathetic friend — GPT-4.5 is for you. But if you need deep, structured thinking, it’s not the GOAT (“Greatest of All Time”)
Confused much about the different OpenAI models? On today’s podcast, we break it down for you, which ones are the reasoning and non-reasoning models. Check this blog post for more detailed descriptions of AI models.
🗣️ Alexa+ vs. Siri: The Voice Assistant Drama
Alexa+ Just Got Smarter… Kinda
Amazon is rolling out Alexa+, finally adding AI upgrades to make it less robotic and more useful (about time, right?).
✨ New tricks:
- More natural conversations (interrupt & switch topics like a real convo!)
- Agentic capabilities -book tickets, make reservations, even order Ubers — gotta appreciate that it’s venturing past adding stuff to your Amazon Cart!
- Uses Claude & Amazon’s AI for smarter responses.
💸 The catch? $20/month unless you’re an Amazon Prime member, then it’s free.
Maria: I’m very excited about it since I use Alexa daily! And I’m not the only one, there are 600 million Alexa devices now out in the world! Fellow Humans, do you own one, what your take?
Meanwhile, Apple Intelligence Is… Taking a Siesta
🚨 Siri’s real AI upgrade? Delayed until 2027.
For now, all it can do is redirect your questions to ChatGPT or Gemini. Groundbreaking.
🎙️ AI Voices Are Getting TOO Real
👀 The new Sesame AI voice model is so realistic that it might creep you out. Seriously. It remembers previous convos, throws in casual phrases, and sounds weirdly human.
Your new besties, Maya and Miles by Seasame.com
🤔 Test it yourself — but don’t be surprised if you start saying “thank you” and “calling” to hang out with your new AI buddy, Maya or Miles.
📢 Rapid-Fire AI News You Need to Know
🔹 ElevenLabs has released their new transcription model — the best transcription out there. You can test it for free here!
🔹 Perplexity & Deutsche Telekom are launching an “AI Phone” in 2026 — it’s like a smartphone, but actually smart and for less then $1000! Can it pose a real threat to the iPhone empire?
🔹 Opera’s browser will soon complete web tasks for you — shopping, booking, even research.
🔹 Honor’s UI Agent can tap & navigate your phone’s screen — a true hands-free experience (but also slightly terrifying).
🔹 ChatGPT will soon generate videos using Sora. Because static AI images weren’t enough.
🤖 Who Wins the AI Battle This Week?
✅ Best chatbot? GPT-4.5.
✅ Best AI voice? Sesame (but prepare to be freaked out).
✅ Best AI assistant? Alexa+ (because at least it does something).
❌ Biggest L? Apple Intelligence — 2027 is just embarrassing.
Fellow humans, that’s a wrap for this week! Want to stay ahead of AI news without drowning in tech jargon? Subscribe to Practical AI News — your shortcut to what actually matters in AI. 🚀
