Despite growing up online, Gen Z and millennials prefer in-person shopping and socializing, creating opportunities for minimalist tech and physical brand experiences.

With seamless in-app purchases coming, PayPal could turn Perplexity into a trusted, AI-driven checkout hub—especially for younger, AI-hungry consumers.

With AI tools creeping into shopping, Google could borrow Pinterest’s discovery model to stay relevant in design, DIY, and fashion search.

Holiday traffic surged with AI bots, but trust issues, security concerns, and web design flaws risk halting the agent revolution before it scales.

Chrome is the hottest browser no one can buy—yet: OpenAI, Yahoo, and Perplexity are lining up to bid if the DOJ forces a Google sell-off, eyeing a shortcut to AI search dominance.

CEO Aravind Srinivas says Comet will track user activity to build deep profiles for hyperpersonalized ads but risks alienating privacy-focused users.

Control of the world’s top browser would give OpenAI data, default status, and an AI-native edge to rival Google in the search war.

Perplexity eyes smartphone deals to challenge Google’s mobile search dominance: With Motorola on board and Samsung talks underway, Perplexity’s AI could replace Google Gemini on Android phones

Advertising’s AI obsession is upside down: While genAI dominates for content creation, agencies are sleeping on AI’s real strategic edge—like SEO, workflow automation, and data insights

With an antitrust trial on the horizon, Google is slashing jobs and budgets to hedge against a forced Chrome divestment.

AI agents are here, but they’ve had little effect on the consumer journey so far. That should change by the end of 2028.

New Character AI feature offers opt-in parental reports: While better than nothing, teen users still control visibility—highlighting fragmented safety standards across AI chatbots.

Research and planning across retail, travel, and finance are increasingly filtered through AI, making chatbots central to the customer journey.

Anthropic’s newest upgrade pits it against Google, Perplexity, and OpenAI—escalating the fight for information dominance.

Perplexity’s new ad makes Google a target: The company’s biggest ad yet, led by “Squid Game” star Lee Jung-jae, could continue the push toward a more divided AI market.

: Its low-stakes investment strategy lets it back Claude’s standout coding abilities while sidestepping antitrust heat.

Google, OpenAI explore ads: The moves indicate that ads will be a crucial part of how AI search engines generate future revenues.

AI Mode promises cleaner search summaries, but cutting out website links might backfire with users and crater referral traffic for publishers.

Generative AI (genAI) is fundamentally changing how consumers shop online, potentially eliminating the "treasure hunt" experience that drives impulse purchases and changing how marketers push products.

Its partnership with Perplexity aims to create an action-oriented AI smartphone, but market competition and questionable demand makes this a risky venture.