Amazon Alexa’s most asked questions of 2025 in Ireland

Alexa is always ready to help and has once again been on hand to answer the questions posed by inquisitive customers in Ireland. Revealed today are this year’s ‘Alexa’s Most Asked Questions’ covering an array of the hottest trends and topics in 2025.

In the year Liverpool became Premier League champions and Taylor Swift dominated our radios with The Life of a Showgirl, users have been asking how much Elon Musk is worth and checking the value of Bitcoin.

Celebrities piqued a lot of curiosity, with Irish Alexa users keen to learn more about their favourite famous faces, with “How tall is Sabrina Carpenter”, “Who is Ed Sheeran married to” and “What is MrBeast’s net worth?” coming in as some of the top celebrity questions.

Users also turned to Alexa for insights on general knowledge, with “What is the population of the Earth?” and “How long do you boil an egg for?” coming in as some of the most asked questions.

Alison Dunn, Country Manager, Amazon Ireland said: “We’re delighted to see how Alexa has become such an integral part of daily life for Amazon.ie customers across Ireland. From settling debates about celebrity heights to helping with cooking times and satisfying curiosity about everything from the population of Earth to the latest Bitcoin values, Alexa is there to help with life’s big and small questions alike.”

Football also dominated the Irish conversation in 2025, with Liverpool the most talked about team, closely followed by rivals Manchester United. “How much is Roy Keane worth?” also found itself in the top 10 celebrity net worth questions.

You can find the full list of ‘Alexa’s Most Asked Questions’ for 2025 below:

 

  • The most asked about sports team:Liverpool
    1. Manchester United
    2. Arsenal
    3. Manchester City
    4. Chelsea
    5. Tottenham Hotspur
    6. Real Madrid
    7. Barcelona
    8. Aston Villa
    9. Newcastle
    10.  
  • The most asked about celebrities:Cristiano Ronaldo
    1. Taylor Swift
    2. Lionel Messi
    3. Elon Musk
    4. Sabrina Carpenter
    5. Elvis Presley
    6. Ed Sheeran
    7. MrBeast
    8. Eminem
    9. Michael D. Higgins

 

  • The most asked about estimated net worths:Elon Musk
    1. MrBeast
    2. Cristiano Ronaldo
    3. Taylor Swift
    4. Jeff Bezos
    5. Rory McIlroy
    6. Kevin De Bruyne
    7. Lionel Messi
    8. Bill Gates
    9. Roy Keane

 

  • General knowledge question highlights:What is the population of the earth?
    • How long do you boil an egg for?
    • How long do you cook chicken for?
    • Where is Leeds?
    • What is the population of the Republic of Ireland?
    • What is the value of Bitcoin?
    • How old is Donald Trump?
    • What is the population of the Republic of Ireland?
    • How long do you cook a potato for?
    • How old is Michael D. Higgins?

 

 

  • The most asked about heights:Taylor Swift
    1. Sabrina Carpenter
    2. Lionel Messi
    3. Cristiano Ronaldo
    4. Peter Crouch
    5. Barron Trump
    6. Michael D. Higgins
    7. Tom Cruise
    8. Harry Kane
    9. Sultan Kösen

 

  • The most asked about spouses:Ed Sheeran
    1. Donald Trump
    2. Katy Perry
    3. Celine Dion
    4. Eminem
    5. Henry VIII
    6. Elon Musk
    7. Cristiano Ronaldo
    8. Lionel Messi
    9. Taylor Swift

 

*Lists based on IE customer interactions 

Upgrade your setup: CHERRY announces Black Friday offers

CHERRY has announced a series of Black Friday offers on some of its most popular mechanical keyboards, giving gamers, creators, and home workers the chance to upgrade their setup at a fraction of the usual price.

Starting today, and running while stocks last, customers can find these exclusive deals at Currys and Amazon UK. Among the highlights are the CHERRY K5V2 in black or white, now available for £39.99, and the K4V2 in black or white for just £29.99. For those looking for a stylish keyboard that works with Windows and Mac, the K33 White with IP54 dust and water resistance is also included in the promotion at £39.99.

Some of the keyboards feature CHERRY’s latest MX2A mechanical switches, which deliver smoother keystrokes, improved acoustics, and exceptional durability rated for over 100 million presses. Designed for precision and comfort, they are ideal for anyone who spends long hours typing or gaming and wants a reliable, high-performance upgrade.

“Consumers want gear they can rely on, and this is a great chance to make the switch,” said Del Fadipe, Key Account Manager at CHERRY. “Our keyboards are built for comfort and precision, and these Black Friday prices make them even more accessible.”

The deals are available now through Currys and Amazon UK, but only while stocks last.

‘What’s the Story, Dublin?’ DCC Podcast now available

Want to learn more about your local council? Tune in to ‘What’s the Story, Dublin?’ – the official podcast that takes you behind the scenes of Dublin City Council

Seasons one and two of ‘What’s the Story, Dublin?’ The Official Dublin City Council Podcast are now available in full on podcast platforms. Whether you’re a resident of Dublin city, a student, or eager to learn about local government, this podcast offers a fresh and accessible look at how Dublin City Council supports your city and keeps it moving. Podcasts are also a new thing with me and now listening to more of them as time goes on and I will tune into this one.

Highlights of season two include a deep dive into Dublin Fire Brigade with Fire Officer Greg O’Dwyer, a chat with Assistant Chief Executive Aidan Blighe about what the senior management role entails, and a reflection with Public Domain Officer Sid Daly on the challenges of waste management and recycling in Dublin city.

The ‘What’s the Story, Dublin?’ podcast delves into the roles and responsibilities of the various sections and departments of Dublin City Council, showcasing the work, initiatives, and services that impact both residents and visitors.

Topics covered so far range from Housing and Biodiversity, to Sports and the Night-Time Economy, with more special episodes to come before the end of 2025.

Producer and host of ‘What’s the Story, Dublin?’ Deirdre Molumby says: “We’ve had such a wonderful range of guests and perspectives on the ‘What’s the Story, Dublin?’ podcast and I’m proud of all we’ve accomplished this year.

“I’ve learned so much presenting this podcast and I believe listeners have too. There is a broad range of audiences who will get something out of ‘What’s the Story, Dublin?’, whether you’re interested in working for the public sector and want to brush up on it, a community member who wants to use services provided by Dublin City Council, or students who want to learn about how local council works. I’m looking forward to seeing the podcast grow and grow.

“I’d like to extend my thanks to fellow producer Michael Ryan, sound engineer and editor Robert Fay, everyone in the Communications sector of Dublin City Council, and senior management for their support.”

Subscribe to ‘What’s the Story, Dublin?’ on Spotify, Apple, YouTube, Goodpods, Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts.

Meet Amazon Quick Suite: The agentic AI application reshaping how work gets done

Quick Suite helps you cut through the noise of fragmented information, siloed applications, and repetitive tasks to focus on what matters.

Key takeaways

  • Quick Suite is AWS’s agentic AI application that helps employees transform how they find insights, conduct deep research, automate tasks, visualize data, and take actions across apps.
  • Quick connects to your information across internal repositories like wikis and intranets, popular applications, AWS services like S3 and Redshift, and access integrations with MCP to connect to 1,000+ apps.
  • Ask any question and get insightful answers.
  • Battle-tested by tens of thousands of Amazon employees and dozens of customers, you can use Quick for tasks consumer AI shouldn’t handle.

Read more below

We’ve all experienced how AI can transform our personal lives, but this same experience hasn’t been unlocked at work—yet. Consumer AI solutions aren’t connected to all your business data. They don’t have access to the tools you need to get things done at work. And many organizations won’t even let you use consumer offerings, because they lack critical security and privacy features.

That’s why we invented Amazon Quick Suite. It’s the AI experience people love with the security and privacy enterprises trust. Quick is your AI teammate that collaborates with you to get work done. With Quick, you can ask questions and get detailed answers, conduct deep dive research, analyze and visualize data, and create automations for workflows to save time and let you focus on the big picture. And thanks to the enterprise-grade security and privacy standards, Quick can work across all your information, so you finally get the fully featured gen AI experience you want at work, while knowing your queries are never used to train a model.

With Quick, we are entering a new era of work. Interact with Quick through an intuitive, web-based experience or integrations across your browser, Office 365, and more. Working with an AI agent is now as simple as chatting with a teammate. Make a request, ask a question, or automate a task. Quick works with you to help you go from insight directly to action. To see these capabilities firsthand, watch my video overview of Amazon Quick Suite.

We’ve been testing Quick with employees across Amazon and key customers to ensure it’s up to the demands of today’s workplace, and the results speak for themselves. Amazon employees are turning tasks that used to take days into minutes, automating the development of critical reports, and building their own benches of personalized agents. Propulse Lab, a leading marketing automation company, used Quick to streamline their customer service workflows, reducing the average time spent handling tickets by 80%—with a planned expansion of this workflow, they predict they will save over 24,000 hours annually. Based on the results they’ve already seen with Quick, DXC Technology, a global provider of information technology services, is planning to deploy it across more than 120k users, while Vertiv, a provider of critical digital infrastructure, plans to scale their users by more than 25% in 2026.

So how does Quick Suite work?

Bring everything together with Quick Index and Spaces

Quick Index makes it simple for you to connect to the sources and applications that matter. With over 50 built-in connectors for applications like Adobe Analytics, SharePoint, Snowflake, Google Drive, OneDrive, Outlook, ServiceNow, Databricks, Amazon Redshift, and Amazon S3, Quick brings together all your data securely to ensure you have full context for every decision. Using integrations with OpenAPI or Model Context Protocol (MCP) customers can connect to custom resources and 1,000+ apps by taking advantage of popular MCP servers from Atlassian, Asana, Box, Canva, PagerDuty, Workato, Zapier, and many more. You can then add additional files, dashboards, and other information to dedicated Spaces for you and your team to collaborate.

Ask questions and build agents

Once you’ve connected your data to Quick, you can start interacting with the chat assistant. You can ask Quick to write and send communications for you, or if you want Quick to write in your style or for a particular task (like writing a case study), you can use natural language or point Quick at existing guides or documentation to create a custom agent able to communicate in your intended style.

Analyze and visualize data with Quick Sight

Quick Sight makes business intelligence accessible to everyone with a new agentic experience, helping you gain insights to make better decisions. Unlike traditional business intelligence tools that work only with databases and data warehouses, Quick Sight’s agentic experience analyzes all forms of data across all your systems and apps, including your documents.

For example, a marketer can now easily look at a dashboard of their campaign data with metrics and customer feedback and ask questions in natural language about how the campaign is performing. They get a crisp analysis of the data in seconds without hours of manual statistical analysis, compiling sentiment from feedback, and summarizing the findings into a narrative—no business intelligence or data science experience required.

Dive deep into complex questions with Quick Research

Quick Research is the most accurate and reliable research agent on the market, ready to answer your most in-depth questions. It’s like having your own personal Ph.D. to provide comprehensive answers and reports to questions that require extensive research. It uses sophisticated analysis capabilities and extended processing to dive into your company’s data, and the public internet, including real-time information from 200+ outlets like The Associated Press, The New York Times, Washington Post, and Forbes. Quick Research can turn weeks-long research projects into quick-turn results, all with fully cited sources you can trust.

We tested Quick Research on DeepResearch Bench, a comprehensive benchmark for evaluating research agents, using a collective jury, where it provided the most accurate and reliable research across a range of tasks. The Last Mile Delivery team at Amazon used Quick Research to assess the potential impact of new legislation on a particular country that had been previously enacted in other countries. In 30 minutes, Quick Research delivered an in-depth analysis of how this legislation impacted other countries and their associated partner organizations, while also providing details on references and research methodology. This sort of research previously took multiple team members two weeks to complete.

Streamline repetitive tasks with Quick Flows

We all have those routine tasks, like compiling weekly reports or preparing for a recurring meeting, that take up your time every week. Quick Flows helps you use simple prompts to create automated workflows that handle repetitive tasks, reducing errors and freeing you and your team from busy work. For example, a program manager at AWS created a Flow to report on new, in-progress, and closed Asana tickets from the past week, compare them against the previous week’s status and committed items, and generate an executive summary email for leadership, saving multiple hours of manual work each week.

Handle complex multi-system workflows with Quick Automate

When these processes get complex and require hundreds of steps to be securely executed across multiple enterprise systems, like insurance claims processing or onboarding a new employee, teams wish that these tasks could be streamlined, but they lack the sophisticated automation tools and expertise to do it. With natural language prompts or by simply using existing documentation for their standard operating procedure, Quick Automate coordinates even the most complex business workflows across multiple applications, systems, or departments.

For instance, the Amazon Finance team uses Quick Automate to reconcile thousands of invoices every month. Quick Automate pulls information across multiple external transportation management systems, cross referencing this content with internal data from Amazon systems to help teams forecast cashflow, identify payment blockers, and conduct root cause analysis. The team built this automation without a dev team in days instead of weeks, and Quick made it easy to scale across multiple teams. Customers, such as Kitsa, have found the computer use agent in Quick Automate to be the most accurate solution for browser automation, helping them reliably automate their most complex and sensitive workflows across applications at scale.

Quick works wherever you are. With an intuitive web application, extensions in popular browsers like Chrome and Firefox, and extensions in Microsoft Outlook, Teams, and Word, Quick helps you find answers and act immediately in your flow of work.

Quick Suite is already transforming work for Amazon employees and customers

Quick serves people across every department and role—from sales reps to marketers, to CEOs and CIOs, to engineers and IT. Employees across Amazon, along with customers like Vertiv, DXC, 3M, Jabil, dLocal, Propulse Lab, and Kitsa, are already seeing amazing results with Quick:

Research in high gear

Jessica Gibson, vice president and associate general counsel at Amazon, sees an enormous benefit using Quick Research to help the Legal, Public Policy, and Compliance departments keep up with shifting global requirements that impact their business. From a single prompt, Quick Research helps her team synthesize complex requirements for specific geographic regions and provide recommendations at remarkable speed. “This same task used to require many hours of outside counsel, research, and writing,” said Gibson. By using Quick Research to compile these reports, her team can “stay agile while optimizing both time and resources.”

Automations that work

Kitsa, a customer that builds software to help expedite clinical trials, used Quick Automate to pore through hundreds of webpages and found that they were able to analyze sites for clinical trials in days that previously took months—with a 91% cost savings. “Compared to similar offerings like Manus and ChatGPT Operator, we achieved the highest accuracy and data coverage for our use case,” said Rohit Banga, the company’s co-founder and CTO.

Data-driven business decisions

Robbie Wright, a senior product marketer at AWS, uses Quick Flows to build a repeatable workflow to draft monthly business reviews based on business metrics from Quick Sight, campaign performance reporting from Adobe Analytics, and content from emails, and other internal documents. This saves time and helps his team make more informed decisions about ongoing campaigns faster.

“The workflow makes it simple to combine multiple sources into a concise update for our leaders,” Wright said. “I can now complete these projects 90% faster, and the quality of my reports has improved dramatically because I spend less time chasing numbers and more time providing my own insights.”

An AI-driven transformation

Jabil, a global leader in engineering, supply chain, and manufacturing solutions, is embracing Quick so that employees can use natural language to research regulatory updates across key industries faster and to optimize account collections and request for quote (RFQ) submissions. The automations in account collections and RFQs alone are expected to save about $400,000 annually as a result!

“The multi-tier AI architecture powered by Quick consolidates chatbots and information sources, increasing our manufacturing speed and flexibility,” said May Yap, Jabil’s CIO. “As part of our AI-driven transformation, these unified capabilities are helping us drive efficiencies and operational excellence.”

Complex workflows made simple

Natalie Fischbeck works in business development on Amazon’s Workforce Staffing team, and in one week she built 39 customized AI agents using Quick to help her complete complex tasks in minutes.

“Quick has given me the opportunity to create an accessible hub of institutional knowledge that would otherwise be scattered,” she said. “We now have scalable, logic-based agents that track all our leads and solutions at a high level. Because they pull from all our most recent emails and documents, they can provide dynamic updates almost instantly.”

Beyond productivity: A whole new way of working

What strikes me about these examples isn’t just the time saved—it’s how Quick is fundamentally changing our relationship with work. It’s removing the busy work that used to consume valuable time and energy and gives us the time back to focus on what matters. It brings together all the data, metrics, and institutional knowledge you need to make decisions, and helps you act on these decisions to drive outcomes.

We’ve been blown away by all the creative ways people have used Quick so far, and we’re excited to see how others will use it in the future. There are so many possibilities to dig into with these tools, and our team is hard at work finding ways to make them even more useful for customers in the future.

Twelve South offers up to 50% off its latest travel accessories

 Twelve South, the innovative Apple accessories designer, is offering up to 50% off a selection of its latest travel accessories during Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days event 2025.

On October 7th and 8th, Amazon Prime customers will be able to snap up a PlugBug Travel 50W, the world’s first power supply with Find My for just £39.99, reduced from £79.99. Additionally, the recently launched PowerCord, which combines a 30W fast charger and USB-C cable into one cord, will have  £20 off both the 4ft and 10ft cables.

Twelve South will also be offering discounts off a selection of other products including the bestselling AirFly range that enables users to stream audio from the inflight entertainment, gym TVs or gaming consoles to their wireless headphones as well as the ButterFly, an ultra-compact, 2-in-1 Qi2 charger.

Twelve South’s Amazon Prime Big Deal Days discounts include:

Twelve South PlugBug Travel Kit

50w – £39.99 reduced from £79.99

120w – £79.99 reduced from £99.99

Available from Amazon

Twelve South’s PlugBug is the first ever USB-C plug with built-in Find My! Travellers will never leave their charger in the hotel or airport lounge again. Simply launch the Find My app on an iPhone so see exactly where it is, even if it’s on the other side of the world. The PlugBug can also act as an AirTag tracker for any bag it’s in, allowing users to find both their bag and charger. Users can even utilise the Notify When Left Behind feature to help ensure it’s not lost in the first place.

It can charge Power Delivery compatible devices much faster than a standard USB-C charger and detects which devices are being charged and delivers the right amount of fast charging power to them. Available in 50W with two ports or 120W with four ports, the Plug Bug also includes EU (Type C) and UK (Type G) interchangeable adaptors.

Folding prongs and ports that are accessible from the bottom of the charger rather than the back, make it easy to plug in to wall outlets in tight spaces, such as behind a sofa or side table. The all-new travel version includes adaptors for US, UK, EU, AU KR and CN as well as a handy travel case to keep things organised.

Twelve South PowerCord

4ft – £19.99 reduced from £39.99

10ft – £29.99 reduced from £49.99

Available from Amazon

The PowerCord is a first of its kind, all-in-one charging solution. Putting an end to tangled cables and confusing adapters, PowerCord combines a 30W fast charging wall adapter with a USB-C cord, creating one seamless solution that simplifies charging. Users can simply plug in the PowerCord and power up their devices, without having to scrabble around for separate blocks, adapters or cables.

Universally compatible with all USB-C devices, PowerCord will charge the latest iPhones, Google Pixel, USB-C iPads, Android devices, earbuds, gaming controllers and even lightweight laptops like the MacBook Air etc. Designed to charge quickly with high-speed 30W charging, it’s perfect for use at home, in the office or on the go.

Bringing style and substance to everyday charging, the Twelve South PowerCord comes in two lengths – four feet, or 10 feet for extra reach.

Twelve South AirFly  See reviews

AirFly Pro 2 Deluxe – £59.99 reduced from £69.99

AirFly Pro (black) – £44.99 reduced from £54.99

AirFly SE – £34.99 reduced from £39.99

Available from Amazon

Twelve South’s AirFly range is renowned worldwide for enabling the seamless pairing of wireless headphones with legacy audio jacks commonly found on in-flight entertainment, gym equipment and older physical media players.

The AirFly allows users to enjoy the superior sound of wireless headphones and speakers with devices that lack Bluetooth functionality.  AirFly is a jet setter’s cabin bag essential, allowing users to enjoy in-flight entertainment with the immersive sound of their own wireless earbuds or headphones, rather than low quality, wired airline headsets.

Twelve South ButterFly SE  see review

£79.99 reduced from £99.99

(available in black, pink, white, midnight plum and irredescent)

Available from Amazon

Combine all your charging needs in one, compact and beautiful solution with the Twelve South ButterFly SE. Ideal for travel as it fits in the palm of your hand, the 2-in-1 Qi charger allows users to simultaneously charge their iPhone and Apple Watch or AirPods from just one outlet, making it a handbag essential.

Strong magnets hold ButterFly SE closed while in your bag, which is then unfolded as required to charge devices. More than a charger, ButterFly SE morphs into a hands-free display stand. Stream shows, FaceTime, or use iPhone’s gorgeous StandBy Mode. The magnetic Apple Watch charger on ButterFly SE tilts up to use Nightstand Mode. ButterFly SE can also be used as a compact display stand when you’re just charging your Apple Watch. A coordinating braided USB-C charging cable is included.

NBA AND AWS ANNOUNCE NEW MULTI-YEAR PARTNERSHIP

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced a multi-year partnership to power the league’s next generation of innovation as AWS will become the Official Cloud and Cloud AI Partner of the NBA and its affiliate leagues, including the WNBA, NBA G League, Basketball Africa League and NBA Take-Two Media.

As part of the partnership, the NBA and AWS will launch NBA Inside the Game powered by AWS, a new basketball intelligence platform that will turn billions of data points into compelling insights and interactive experiences, reimagining how fans engage with the game of basketball worldwide.

Built on AWS’s industry-leading AI infrastructure, the platform will introduce a suite of features that enhance live broadcasts and elevate fan experiences across the NBA App, NBA.com, and the league’s social channels.

“Partnering with AWS provides us with an opportunity to elevate the live game experience through innovation and offer fans a deeper understanding of the game of basketball for years to come,” said NBA Executive Vice President and Head of Media Operations and Technology Ken DeGennaro. “AWS has a proven track record of delivering unique statistical insights and offering transformative experiences that will resonate with NBA fans around the world.”

“At AWS, we’re excited by the NBA’s vision to push the boundaries of what’s possible in sports,” said Francessca Vasquez, Vice President of Professional Services & Agentic AI at AWS. “This partnership will showcase how cloud and AI can reimagine the game of basketball – from generating new insights to creating experiences that bring fans closer to the game they love. Together, we’re delivering technology that not only enhances live broadcasts and digital platforms, but also transforms how players, coaches, and fans understand basketball.”

AI-Powered Advanced Stats

The NBA will leverage AWS’s AI capabilities to provide fans with live stats and comprehensive analytics during games. This new advanced statistics platform processes the NBA’s player tracking data, which analyzes the movements of 29 data points per player using machine learning and AI to contextualize in-game developments and generate real-time insights. Fans can deepen their understanding of the game by accessing new statistics via the NBA App, NBA.com and during live NBA games, including during NBA on Prime broadcasts.

Throughout the 2025-26 season, the NBA and AWS will introduce new AI-powered stats that capture aspects of basketball performance that have not been measured previously, starting with:

 

  • Defensive Box ScoreReimagining Basketball’s Fundamental Metric
    Defensive Box Score quantifies individual defensive contributions that traditional statistics cannot measure. AI algorithms detect which defender is responsible for each offensive player in real-time. Once the primary defender is determined, the traditional box score can now be enhanced by identifying the defender at the time each stat was recorded. Additional new metrics like ball pressure, double teams and defensive switches can now be viewed and tallied as well.
  • Shot DifficultyThe Science of Shooting

Shot Difficulty transcends traditional make-or-miss statistics to evaluate every aspect of each shot attempt. The difficulty of attempted shots will be quantified with new stats such as Expected Field Goal % which takes into account various factors such as the shooter’s orientation and setup, defensive contest details related to pressure, interference, and each player’s positioning on the court. This new statistic gives fans a deeper appreciation for the skill and strategy behind every scoring attempt.

  • GravityQuantifying the Invisible Impact
    Gravity showcases what coaches and analysts have observed for years – how certain players create advantages for teammates simply by being on the court, even without touching the ball. This new stat measures the level of attention a player receives from the defense, including how closely they’re guarded with or without the ball, to quantify the amount of space they create for their teammates. This revolutionary system processes optical tracking data 60 times per second, using custom neural networks to analyze how defenders react to specific players, while factoring in real-time game context and historical data.

Transforming Basketball Intelligence

NBA Inside the Game powered by AWS will also feature a first-of-its-kind technology called “Play Finder,” which uses AI to analyze and understand player movements across thousands of games.  Utilizing AWS services such as Amazon Bedrock and Amazon SageMaker, the feature will enable instant search and retrieval of similar plays, laying the foundation for future generative AI integrations built on player tracking data.  Play Finder will help fans and broadcasters learn common offensive strategies and explore deeper insights by combining play results with advanced analytics.

A real-time alert system within Play Finder will enable commentators to instantly provide historical context and strategic insights, making every live game more engaging, educational, and insightful for viewers.  NBA teams will have direct access to the ML models powering Play Finder to improve their front office and coaching workflows.

Future iterations of Play Finder will allow fans to explore basketball strategy with unprecedented depth on the NBA App.

Global Fan Engagement

The NBA App, NBA.com and NBA League Pass, delivering year-round NBA coverage and programming to fans around the world, will run on AWS. Through this partnership with AWS, the NBA will accelerate basketball’s growth worldwide by offering fans new and unique opportunities to understand team strategy and the concepts that lead to execution on the court. Additionally, the NBA and AWS will deliver in-language content and personalized experiences to fans across platforms.

The NBA’s partnership with AWS broadens its strategic relationship with Amazon. This season marks the start of Prime Video’s landmark 11-year media rights agreement with 67 regular-season NBA matchups streaming on Prime Video globally, and a suite of new interactive features set to debut.  The first night of the NBA on Prime will feature a doubleheader on Friday, Oct. 24 during the first week of the season, with the Celtics visiting the Knicks (7:30 p.m. ET) and the Lakers hosting the Timberwolves (10 p.m. ET) in two rematches from the NBA Playoffs 2025.

Amazon launches ‘Think Big Circle’ to connect Irish students with peers worldwide

Today, 25 students from Gaelscoil na Giúise in Tallaght will join 130 schools from over 30 countries to compete in the Coding4Mandela Tangible World Cup.

Sponsored globally by Amazon, the event marks the official launch of the Amazon Think Big Circle, a global collaboration platform designed to connect and empower Amazon Think Big Spaces worldwide.

The Tangible World Cup is an annual online competition that brings together learners to solve engaging, never-before-seen Tangible Coding challenges. This unique unplugged approach teaches key problem-solving and coding skills using physical grids, tokens, and mobile devices.

Following the launch, the Amazon Think Big Circle will become the central hub for continued collaboration, supporting the co-creation of programmes, peer-to-peer learning, and innovative global events that inspire creativity and build community impact.

Opened in 2022, the Amazon Think Big Space in Tallaght was the first of its kind to launch in Europe, and was created in collaboration with South Dublin County Council (SDCC) and South Dublin Libraries to provide a place beyond the classroom for students to explore and cultivate an interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) and STEM-related careers.

The facilities were thoughtfully designed to ensure that students and the wider community have access to high-quality resources to learn about cloud computing and technology in an equitable way. To achieve this, AWS has donated interactive screens, tablets, VR headsets and other resources to furnish the Amazon Think Big Space, and create an immersive, hands-on approach to learning.

Joanne Reynolds, Regional Community Engagement Manager at AWS in Ireland, said: The launch of the Amazon Think Big Circle marks an exciting new chapter for the Amazon Think Big initiative, and global learning and collaboration. We are delighted to have Tallaght’s very own Gaelscoil na Giúise representing Ireland among over 130 schools participating in the Tangible World Cup today globally. This initiative demonstrates what’s possible when we empower young people with the tools, space, and confidence to solve problems together, regardless of their location. It’s not just about coding skills, it’s about breaking down barriers, building connections, and inspiring the next generation to think big!”

For the learners in Tallaght, the event is about more than just a competition, it is a chance to connect with peers across the globe, experience the excitement of a live international challenge, and develop skills that will help address both the digital divide and the social divide.

Ellie Nì Mhaonaigh, aged 12, a participant from Gaelscoil na Giúise said: “The coding is like a puzzle, and I love working with my friends as a team to solve the different levels. It was also cool to see schools from other countries.

The Tangible World Cup is supported as a part of Amazon’s global investment in STEM education and community development, ensuring that students everywhere – from rural villages to major cities – have the opportunity to build skills needed for the future.

For more information:
Website: https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/global-infrastructure/community-engagement/

Amazon’s Alexa now uses Irish ‘sayings’ with the help of Aisling Bea

Amazon today announced that Alexa has had a crash course on Irish vernacular, courtesy of comedian and bona fide Irish national treasure, Aisling Bea.

From today, customers can simply ask: “Alexa, teach me some ‘Irish’ sayings?” to be treated to Ireland’s best-loved expressions and their full definitions, read back to them in the dulcet tones of Alexa’s Irish accent.

The new Alexa update factors in Ireland’s top 20 most popular expressions, all of which have been identified by new research conducted by Amazon amongst Irish people, and topping the list is the understated yet all-purpose “It’s grand”, followed closely by “What’s the craic?” and the ever-polite “Thanks a mill”.

To make sure Alexa truly understands Ireland’s most beloved vernacular, Aisling Bea has been flat out teaching Amazon’s voice assistant the ins and outs of the top 20 expressions and has starred in a hilarious new film set in the heart of Dingle, County Kerry (available to watch here).

The update comes as new research suggests that being up to scratch on local chat is an essential part of Ireland’s cultural fabric, as findings reveal that nearly four out of five (78.7%) people in Ireland use Irish expressions daily, while a massive 95% believe it’s an important part of their identity.

Research has also shown that almost 8 in 10 (78%) believe it would be handy if Alexa could explain Irish sayings… and it’s no surprise, as nearly two thirds (63%) say they often find their Irish vocabulary isn’t understood outside of Ireland.

Aisling Bea said: “Our pal Alexa now understands what the craic is, and I am delighted to have helped teach Alexa how to be more than a bit sound.”

Meryem Tom, Alexa Director UK and Ireland, also said: “Irish sayings are iconic, and it’s part of what makes Irish culture instantly recognisable around the world. Now Alexa can join in too, responding with everything from a casual ‘It’s grand’ to a charming ‘Sláinte’. Language is at the heart of how people connect with Alexa, and we hope customers enjoy discovering or reconnecting with these expressions.”

Whether you’re asking “How’s things?”, calling someone an “Eejit” (with affection, of course), or announcing “The craic was 90” after a great night out, Alexa is now ready to join the conversation like a true Irish local.

The top 20 most popular Irish words and phrases according to Amazon’s research can be found below, all of which are featured in Alexa’s latest update:

  1. It’s grand

  2. What’s the craic?

  3. Ah sure, it’ll be grand

  4. Thanks a mill (million)

  5. What’s the story

  6. Fair play to ye

  7. Sound

  8. Eejit

  9. How’s things

  10. You know yerself

  11. That’s gas

  12. Sláinte

  13. Yer man

  14. C’mere to me

  15. Who’s yer man / yer woman

  16. Adding “ah” before a sentence

  17. Giving out

  18. Flat out

  19. The craic was 90

  20. Good man yerself

To try it out, simply ask Alexa “Alexa, teach me some ‘Irish’ sayings”

Esports World Cup Foundation and Amazon Announce Strategic Collaboration

The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) today announced a strategic three-year collaboration with Amazon Ads that will combine the Esports World Cup’s (EWC) premier esports and gaming event, returning to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 7 to August 24, with Amazon’s full-funnel advertising and entertainment services to deliver unprecedented fan experiences and expand the tournament’s global reach.

Building on the success of their 2024 collaboration at the inaugural Esports World Cup, which featured the launch of the Esports World Cup Hub on Amazon.sa and Amazon.ae, the expanded agreement will unlock new fan experiences across TwitchPrime VideoAlexa, and Wondery, and introduce custom branded activations that inspire, connect and engage fans around the world with the action in Riyadh.

As part of the collaboration, EWCF and Amazon Ads will work together to extend the reach of the Esports World Cup across key locales, including the United States, Europe, Brazil, Mexico, the Middle East and North Africa, Turkey, India, and Canada. EWC content will be delivered to fans through live broadcasts on Twitch, an original docuseries on Prime Video, real-time voice integrations on Alexa, and immersive music-driven storytelling via Wondery. These initiatives aim to transform the way fans engage with esports as mainstream entertainment for a digital generation, from competition and storytelling to shopping and social interaction.

In addition to new audience experiences, the collaboration will offer new opportunities for brands to connect with the next-generation global esports audience through Amazon’s suite of advertising solutions. From exclusive content and custom executions to programmatic media and retail integration, creating a powerful storytelling environment that benefits players, Clubs, fans, and partners of the EWC.

“Esports is redefining how a new generation consumes entertainment – always on, always accessible, and deeply social,” said Mike McCabe, Chief Operating Officer, at the Esports World Cup Foundation. “With Amazon, we are bringing esports into everyday digital lives for millions of people around the world — whether you’re catching highlights on Prime, or a livestream on Twitch, or asking Alexa for updates – creating an immersive, multimedia experience that’s shaping its place in global culture.”

Rayan Karaky, Managing Director, EMEA & Southeast Asia at Amazon Ads, said,“ We are excited to continue our collaboration with EWCF to shape how Esports is experienced globally. Our collaboration will power immersive fan experiences across multiple touchpoints and create exceptional value for brands. Through our global services – Twitch, Prime Video, Alexa and Wondery – we will take world-class esports content from Saudi Arabia to the world. This initiative supports the Kingdom’s position as a world-leading esports hub, and the Vision 2030 ambition to be a leader in digital entertainment and technology.”

Returning to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 7 to August 24, 2025, the Esports World Cup Festival will unite gaming and esports communities for a global celebration of gaming and esports culture. With esports tournaments, live music, retro arcades, anime cafes, cosplay, creator studios, and more, the EWC Festival will offer millions of fans exclusive experiences celebrating their love of the game.

The Esports World Cup 2025 will feature 2,000 elite players and 200 Clubs from over 100 countries, competing in 25 tournaments across 24 games for a record-breaking $70+ million prize pool.

To learn more about EWC, visit esportsworldcup.com and follow Esports World Cup Foundation on LinkedIn.