Early movers stand to pick up early AI volume through app development.

A new lawsuit against OpenAI seeks to pause ChatGPT Health, raising odds of stricter safeguards and deeper reassessment of AI medical rollouts.

Both Google Pay and the BNPL firms may get a lift from AI- and installment-eager Gen Zers.

A new tie-up with Anthropic gets Amex closer to younger consumers using AI for dining discovery.

Rising AI adoption among younger consumers for mental health and emotional support makes safe chatbot design table stakes, especially as lawsuits mount.

The ecommerce playbook is changing as AI disruptors reshape the path to purchase. In this video, Principal Analyst Sky Canaves explores how discovery, decision-making, and loyalty are evolving—and what retailers and brands must do to stay competitive.

Retailers face a critical challenge in the age of AI: Understanding which of three emerging consumer types deserves their attention and investment today versus which remains largely theoretical.

The field is new, the terminology is unsettled, and vendor hype runs high. This FAQ separates what's real from what's speculative.

This FAQ covers how consumers and marketers are adapting to generative AI, the risks that accompany its growth, and what strategies brands should prioritize in 2026.

This FAQ addresses how AI fits into customer experience strategy in 2026.

Lloyds plans a genAI-enabled, customer-facing assistant

AI is reshaping how payment providers attract, serve, and retain customers. Those who act now to integrate AI across the life cycle—from discovery to checkout to support—will gain an edge, while those who wait risk losing loyalty and control.

Holiday shoppers are stressed and overwhelmed, per Accenture’s 19th Annual Holiday Shopping Survey. And this is leading to lower conversion rates: 85% of consumers are likely to abandon their carts due to frustration or indecision, according to the survey. To best meet customer needs quickly, retailers can partner with providers like Checkout.com on its one-click checkout solution Flow Remember Me or PayPal-owned Honey as it integrates AI-powered product recommendations based on users’ conversations with chatbots.

Meta will begin using conversations with its AI assistant to personalize ads and feeds across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp starting December 16. The change represents Meta’s most aggressive AI monetization effort to date, moving beyond likes and follows to conversational intent—a richer, real-time signal of consumer interest. Regulators are already raising alarms about surveillance and privacy. With 98% of Meta’s revenues tied to ads, even small gains could shift billions.

SoFi recently reported that its AI chatbot, Konecta, has helped make significant operational and customer service improvements since its 2023 launch, per Yahoo Finance. Banking customers have been experiencing chatbot fatigue when glitches and errors prevent them from getting meaningful solutions to their problems—or when they can’t reach a human. But the more empathetic, human models could undo some of the negative perception of these bots. By demonstrating tangible benefits, like faster service and fewer dropped chats, SoFi is directly addressing these customer pain points. This approach improves efficiency and builds a foundation of trust—particularly with self-service-leaning Gen Zers.

The news: Linda Yaccarino, CEO of Elon Musk’s X, left the company Wednesday as the social platform faced a major AI controversy—raising questions about the platform’s future and how advertisers will navigate the shift. Yaccarino, who became CEO of X in 2023, announced her decision to leave on Wednesday. Our take: X’s future is increasingly rocky. Yaccarino’s departure reaffirms many advertisers’ fears that the platform is far from stable, and the Grok mishap indicates that it isn’t yet brand safe—meaning major advertisers could retreat once again.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss the various definitions of artificial general intelligence (AGI) and try to come up with the best one we can. Then we look at how smart humans are compared to current AI models. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, and Analysts Jacob Bourne and Gadjo Sevilla. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

The news: Meta’s AI app is drawing backlash as users unknowingly publish private chats—some serious—under real names due to a confusing share feature, per TechCrunch. Many people thought they were using the chatbot or saving notes in private, only to find that their prompts—which included topics like gender identity, medical concerns, tax evasion, and job interviews—were visible to strangers. Our take: This episode poses significant issues for Meta regarding the metaverse, AI, and advertising.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss how Google embedding an AI chatbot into search changes things, why Anthropic’s Claude API could reshape search, and why tech companies might not be the winners of the AI search war. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, and Senior Analyst’s Gadjo Sevilla and Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

Despite being a leader in AI use, the BNPL provider said leaning on AI for customer service lowered support quality