Innovation/page/3 news and trends

Google’s Revamped Platform Brings AI Insights, Price Comparisons to In-Store and Online Retail

November 19, 2024
Google
Walmart’s Growth Fueled by Expedited Deliveries and Resilient US Shoppers
Walmart // November 19, 2024

Consumers in the United States have shown resilience while prioritizing speed and convenience, according to Walmart’s third-quarter earnings call Tuesday (Nov. 19). The retail giant reported a 5.5% increase in consolidated revenue for the third quarter of fiscal year 2025, reaching $169.6 billion — fueled...

Thredd’s McCarthy on Winning in the Changing World of Issuer Processing
Payments Innovation // November 19, 2024

Earlier this month, shares of Marqeta plunged more than 30% in the wake of weaker-than-expected guidance. The company pointed, in part, to delays in bank partners launching new programs. It said programs have been taking 40% longer to launch, and 15 projects were pushed out...

AI Verse Tops Human Poetry in Reader Study, Rattling Creative Markets
Artificial Intelligence // November 18, 2024

Artificial intelligence poets are stealing the spotlight, with new research showing their verses outshine human-crafted ones in consumer appeal and often fool readers into thinking real poets pen them. The new finding in Scientific Reports could signal a market shift for creative commerce industries, where...

CFOs and Treasurers Rethink ROI on Cash and Working Capital Strategies
VISA // November 18, 2024

CFOs’ and treasurers’ offices are among the most difficult stops on the digital roadmap in finance and yet are part of the corporate C-suite that oversees the most critical function: day-to-day cash flow management. For forward-thinking corporates — and the financial institutions serving them —...

Interviews & Exclusives
MoneyLion CEO: Checkout Extends Our Evolution From Neobank to Financial Services Marketplace

November 14, 2024
Call it a financial services ecosystem or even a financial services marketplace. But don’t call MoneyLion a neobank. As CEO Dee Choubey told Karen Webster days after posting third-quarter earnings results, MoneyLion is on its way to becoming the place “mass market” consumers visit when they need a variety of financial services products, including insurance, […]

AI Content Creation Tools Aim to Rewrite How Companies Sell Online

November 13, 2024
Generative artificial intelligence platform Writer announced Tuesday (Nov. 12) that it raised $200 million in funding, reflecting a broader shift as businesses increasingly rely on AI to craft everything from...

CEO Interview: Pay-as-You-Go Options Help LatAm Consumers Battle ‘Prepaid Fatigue’

November 11, 2024
In Latin America, where many consumers are unbanked or underbanked, roughly three-quarters of consumers don’t have credit cards, so prepaid cards are widely used to pay for everything from streaming...

Voice AI Orders Go Mainstream With QSRs Leading the Way

November 08, 2024
That robot voice taking your Taco Bell order isn’t just an experiment — it’s handled 2 million customer orders, showing how artificial intelligence (AI)-powered conversation has become serious business. The...

Quick Reads
Elon Musk Adds Antitrust Claims to Lawsuit Against OpenAI

November 15, 2024
Elon Musk added antitrust claims against OpenAI and Microsoft to his existing lawsuit against OpenAI. Musk claimed the companies colluded to remove competition in artificial intelligence, according to an amended lawsuit filed late Thursday (Nov. 14). In his expanded lawsuit, Musk accused OpenAI CEO Sam Altman of “rampant self-dealing” between OpenAI and other companies; charged […]

Visa Invests in Four African FinTech Startups From Accelerator Program

November 06, 2024
Visa is injecting fresh funding into four startups that graduated from the first batch of its Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator program. The investments highlight Visa’s dedication to driving digital innovation...

OpenAI Names Meta Augmented Reality Vet Caitlin Kalinowski to Head Robotics Project

November 05, 2024
The one-time head of Meta’s augmented reality glasses project is headed to OpenAI. Caitlin Kalinowski has been hired to oversee the artificial intelligence startup’s robotics effort, according to a Monday...

Report: Investors Remain Uncertain About Apple AI Features’ Impact on Sales

November 01, 2024
Apple shares dipped early Friday (Nov. 1) as investors remained uncertain about the prospects for the company’s rollout of artificial intelligence features. Apple gave guidance Thursday (Oct. 31) for low-...