News/Business
6 ways AI is transforming accounts payable operations in 2025
AI is revolutionizing accounts payable operations with substantial impacts on efficiency, accuracy, and cost reduction. Forrester Research's latest report highlights six key areas where AI technologies are delivering significant value for financial operations in 2025, from transforming invoice processing to enhancing compliance management. These advancements represent a fundamental shift in how finance departments operate, offering unprecedented opportunities for organizations to optimize their AP functions. 1. Invoice Data Capture AI-driven solutions are outperforming traditional optical character recognition (OCR) technologies with significantly improved accuracy. Companies including Billerud and Adyen have achieved notable cost reductions by implementing AI for invoice data extraction and...
read Mar 17, 2025Tech leaders at SXSW reject sci-fi AI fears, focus on practical guardrails
In a nutshell: Watch fewer movies. Tech industry leaders at SXSW are challenging popular sci-fi-influenced perceptions of AI's dangers, focusing instead on practical approaches to responsible implementation. While acknowledging AI's current limitations—including hallucinations and biases—executives from companies like Microsoft, Meta, IBM, and Adobe emphasized that thoughtful application and human oversight can address these concerns. Their collective message suggests that AI's future, while transformative, need not be dystopian if developed with appropriate guardrails and realistic expectations. The big picture: Major tech companies are converging around three key principles for responsible AI development and adoption, suggesting a more nuanced view than apocalyptic...
read Mar 14, 20257 steps to build your own custom ChatGPT AI agent for business automation
The creation of custom AI agents using ChatGPT represents a significant shift in project management, offering teams a way to automate routine tasks while focusing on higher-value work. With most organizations planning to integrate AI agents within three years, understanding how to build these custom solutions has become increasingly relevant for businesses seeking to improve efficiency and productivity in an environment where manual tracking and reporting consume valuable time. 1. Define your AI agent's purpose Before building an AI agent, you must clearly establish what problem it will solve and what specific tasks it will perform. This foundational step ensures...
read Mar 14, 2025Europe adding 5 AI businesses per minute as adoption gap widens
It's like the European version of America's Clinton-era "digital divide," enterprise edition. Europe is witnessing an unprecedented acceleration in AI adoption, with five businesses implementing AI solutions every minute according to AWS's latest research. However, this rapid growth is creating a concerning divide between agile, AI-native startups and established enterprises struggling with implementation challenges. This emerging two-tier AI economy threatens Europe's competitiveness and requires urgent attention from business leaders and policymakers to ensure the benefits of AI are broadly distributed across the business landscape. The big picture: Europe's AI landscape is evolving rapidly with 42% of firms now regularly using...
read Mar 14, 2025Putting the AI in Wait Staff: How robots help restaurants restore service amid labor shortages
The hospitality industry is undergoing a significant transformation as robotics technology begins filling crucial service gaps exacerbated by post-pandemic labor shortages. Companies like Richtech Robotics are deploying AI-powered solutions that handle repetitive tasks traditionally performed by humans, potentially enabling a return to more personalized customer experiences by freeing staff from mundane duties. This shift represents not just an operational evolution but a reimagining of how technology and human service can complement each other in creating memorable dining experiences. The big picture: Restaurants are increasingly turning to robotics to address persistent staffing challenges while potentially improving the overall customer experience. The...
read Mar 14, 2025Total HR: How AI is transforming recruitment, employee compensation, and more
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming human resources departments, with AI applications becoming increasingly sophisticated in automating repetitive tasks and enhancing strategic decision-making. According to new research from The Josh Bersin Company, organizations are leveraging AI across recruiting, HR administration, and employee support functions, allowing HR professionals to focus more on strategic initiatives while improving efficiency and employee experience. This shift represents the next phase of digital transformation in the workplace, with potential to redefine how HR departments operate. The big picture: HR departments are implementing AI solutions most extensively in recruiting processes, where the technology demonstrates its most mature applications....
read Mar 14, 2025Apple delays AI Siri features as iOS 19 redesign and foldable iPhone plans advance
Apple's ambitious AI plans for Siri have hit a significant roadblock with the indefinite delay of new features, while rumors point to sweeping design changes coming to iOS 19 and a potential foldable iPhone launch in 2026. These developments signal Apple's struggle to keep pace in the competitive AI landscape, highlighting the challenges the company faces in delivering on its promised Apple Intelligence ecosystem while simultaneously pursuing hardware innovation to maintain market leadership. The big picture: Apple has officially delayed its "more personalized" version of Siri indefinitely, creating uncertainty around the company's AI strategy. This setback follows a string of...
read Mar 14, 2025Ericsson showcases AI-powered telecom networks that cut energy use by 33% at MWC 2025
Ericsson's Mobile World Congress 2025 showcase demonstrates the rapid acceleration of AI integration within telecommunications networks, revealing how major carriers are leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance efficiency, reduce energy consumption, and deploy more flexible network architectures. These developments signal a fundamental shift in how telecom infrastructure is being reimagined, with particular emphasis on sustainability and autonomous network management. The big picture: Ericsson unveiled 22 major technological innovations and partnerships at MWC 2025, spanning advancements in 5G, AI, network APIs, and cloud technologies that are reshaping the telecommunications landscape. Key details: Vodafone UK's AI energy efficiency trial with Ericsson produced remarkable...
read Mar 14, 2025Acelab’s new AI platform for materials helps architects find the right fit
Acelab's new Materials Hub platform leverages artificial intelligence to revolutionize how architects and designers discover and specify building materials. Launched in early March 2025 with backing from $13 million in funding, the platform addresses longstanding challenges in architectural material selection by combining AI-powered search capabilities with a firm's institutional knowledge. This innovation represents a significant advancement in architectural technology, potentially transforming how the industry approaches material specification while promoting sustainability in the built environment. The big picture: Materials Hub contains an extensive database of over 10,000 building materials from more than 1,000 manufacturers, with 50,000 specific products across 25 categories...
read Mar 13, 2025Databricks scientist: Companies finding AI value through experimentation, not buzzwords
Databricks's chief AI scientist reveals that companies are still learning through experimentation where artificial intelligence can most effectively solve business problems, beyond the hype of buzzwords like "agentic AI." This trial-and-error approach highlights a practical shift in enterprise AI adoption, as organizations seek to identify the specific applications where AI delivers meaningful value rather than pursuing trendy concepts. The big picture: Generative AI is enabling a new form of enterprise analytics by making previously unusable unstructured data valuable for business insights. Data that was once considered "useless" in traditional analytics frameworks—like Word documents, images, and videos—has become "incredibly valuable" with...
read Mar 13, 2025Microsoft shines down on South Africa, invests $298 million to expand cloud and AI infrastructure
Microsoft's substantial investment in cloud and AI infrastructure in South Africa signals growing confidence in the region's tech potential while positioning the company to meet increasing demand for advanced computing services across the continent. This move represents a significant expansion of Microsoft's three-decade presence in South Africa, combining physical infrastructure development with skills training to create a comprehensive digital ecosystem that could accelerate technological adoption across multiple sectors. The big picture: Microsoft plans to invest $298.6 million (ZAR 5.4 billion) to expand its cloud and AI infrastructure in South Africa by the end of 2027, building on its previous three-year...
read Mar 13, 2025Smarter Brands AI partners with Omniverse City to make AI chatbots affordable for small businesses
Smarter Brands AI and Omniverse City are partnering to make conversational chatbots more accessible to small businesses by integrating AI agents into a digital world platform. This collaboration aims to democratize access to AI technology by reducing cost barriers for custom chatbots that can automate customer service and front-end management tasks. The partnership represents a significant step toward bringing enterprise-level AI capabilities to smaller organizations while maintaining the human workforce's role in creative and strategic functions. The big picture: Smarter Brands AI's conversational chatbots will now be available on Omniverse City, a digital world platform designed for virtual work and...
read Mar 13, 2025ServiceNow expands AI agent capabilities with Moveworks acquisition and new enterprise tools
Move it or lose it! Moveworks, that is... ServiceNow is aggressively expanding its AI agent capabilities through strategic acquisitions and platform enhancements to deliver more value across enterprise operations. By acquiring Moveworks and introducing specialized agents for security, change management, and network operations, the company aims to streamline workflows and automate repetitive tasks. This expansion reflects ServiceNow's vision that AI agents are becoming essential infrastructure components for modern businesses rather than just optional tools. The big picture: ServiceNow announced the acquisition of Moveworks alongside new agent capabilities and the general availability of its orchestration platform, signaling deeper investment in its...
read Mar 13, 2025AI automates up to 40% of customer support today, 80% by 2029
AI is transforming customer support operations at an unprecedented pace, with major platforms like Zendesk, Dialpad, and Talkdesk incorporating AI capabilities as core features. The impact is already substantial, with some companies reporting 20-30% reductions in human support staff. Understanding the trajectory and limitations of AI in customer support is crucial for businesses planning their long-term customer service strategies and technology investments. The big picture: Gartner predicts AI will autonomously handle 80% of customer support issues and reduce support costs by 30% by 2029, signaling a fundamental shift in how businesses approach customer service. What industry leaders claim: Salesforce reports...
read Mar 12, 2025Yo Quiero Taco Bell AI: Fast food icon embraces agentic automation
Agentic AI is moving from theoretical applications to real-world implementation in the fast food industry as YUM Brands unveils virtual management technology for Taco Bell restaurants. This significant development represents the next evolution of AI beyond generative chatbots, creating systems capable of handling complex, multi-step tasks with minimal human intervention. As a trillion-dollar industry driven by technological innovation, fast food is becoming a proving ground for AI that can make decisions, manage operations, and potentially reshape how restaurants function. The big picture: YUM Brands is deploying agentic AI restaurant managers across its Taco Bell franchise through its Byte By Yum...
read Mar 12, 2025AI transforms B2B order processing from hours to minutes amid workforce shortages
Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing B2B order processing by dramatically reducing the time and effort required to handle sales transactions. As workforce shortages plague businesses and customer expectations for faster service grow, AI-powered automation offers a compelling solution by transforming hours-long manual processes into minutes-long automated ones. This shift enables sales representatives to focus on relationship building with customers rather than wrestling with data entry and product lookups, ultimately improving both operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. The big picture: B2B organizations facing an aging, shrinking workforce are struggling to meet customer demands for faster fulfillment and multi-channel access while manual order...
read Mar 12, 2025Cerebras expands AI inference capacity 20x to challenge Nvidia, implying company success
Cerebras Systems is dramatically expanding its AI inference capacity and strategically positioning itself to challenge Nvidia's market dominance in the artificial intelligence infrastructure space. By adding six new data centers across North America and Europe and securing partnerships with major tech platforms, Cerebras is betting on the growing demand for high-speed AI inference services as enterprises seek faster alternatives to traditional GPU solutions. This expansion represents a significant development in the evolving AI hardware landscape, potentially reshaping how businesses access and deploy artificial intelligence capabilities. The big picture: Cerebras Systems announced a massive twentyfold increase in its AI inference capacity,...
read Mar 12, 2025Zoho launches AI-powered Projects Plus as users flee Microsoft and JIRA
Zoho's new Projects Plus platform unifies project management capabilities by integrating four of its existing applications under a single AI-powered umbrella. This consolidation represents a strategic response to growing customer demand, evidenced by Zoho Projects' 20% revenue growth in 2024 and a threefold increase in users migrating from competitors like Microsoft Projects and JIRA. The platform aims to give mid-sized and enterprise organizations a comprehensive solution that leverages AI for improved efficiency and data-driven decision-making. The big picture: Zoho has created an integrated project management ecosystem that combines Projects, WorkDrive, Analytics, and Sprints applications into a unified platform enhanced by...
read Mar 12, 2025Claude’s coding focus propels it to enterprise AI leadership, though Llama remains competitive
Anthropic's Claude is emerging as the leading enterprise AI model by focusing strategically on coding capabilities, potentially the most valuable use case for businesses. While public attention has centered on OpenAI and Google's AI competition, Anthropic has quietly built Claude into a coding powerhouse that's rapidly gaining traction with developers and enterprises alike. The company's recent achievements—including Claude 3.7 Sonnet's record-setting coding benchmark performance and the launch of Claude Code—suggest it's positioning itself as the essential AI platform for business applications. The big picture: Anthropic has executed a disciplined enterprise strategy focused on coding capabilities while competitors battle for consumer...
read Mar 12, 2025Wearables to Software-ables: Tech companies pivot to AI software as hardware innovation stalls
The consumer technology market is experiencing a notable slowdown in hardware innovation as companies pivot their focus toward artificial intelligence software development instead. Despite the AI industry's explosive growth, the absence of new consumer gadgets accompanying these advancements signals a significant shift in how tech giants are approaching product development and market strategy. This divergence between AI software momentum and hardware stagnation highlights changing consumer preferences and potentially indicates a maturing device market where significant upgrades have become increasingly difficult to justify. The big picture: Major tech companies are prioritizing AI software development while noticeably pulling back on launching new...
read Mar 11, 2025Cathie Wood bets on tech despite market selloff, sees Trump-era investment boom
Cathie Wood's tech optimism persists amid market turbulence, offering a unique counterpoint to current bearish sentiment in the AI sector. In a live Bloomberg Invest conversation, the ARK Investment Management founder discussed her outlook on technology investments despite significant recent declines in tech stocks like Nvidia. Her perspective on the Trump administration's potential to create favorable conditions for investors provides important context for understanding how some market participants view the intersection of politics and technology investments during this period of sector volatility. The big picture: Despite tech stocks selling off significantly in 2025, with Nvidia down almost 20% year-to-date, investment...
read Mar 11, 2025Tech hiring down overall, but AI job postings surge 68%
The AI workplace revolution is creating a massive surge in demand for AI-skilled professionals, with 25% of US tech job postings now requiring artificial intelligence expertise. This fundamental shift in hiring priorities comes despite an overall slowdown in tech recruitment, highlighting how organizations across multiple sectors are positioning themselves to capitalize on AI integration for competitive advantage. The big picture: AI-related tech positions have more than doubled in recent years, with 36% of information sector IT jobs now requiring AI skills, according to data from UMD-LinkUp AI Maps. While overall job postings fell 17% in the two years since ChatGPT's...
read Mar 11, 2025Like pulling teeth: Why PDF data extraction remains a stubborn challenge despite AI advances
PDF extraction remains a persistent challenge for data professionals, caught between legacy print-oriented document formats and modern digital data needs. Despite decades of technological advancement, the fundamental issues with extracting structured information from PDFs continue to frustrate experts across industries, from government agencies to scientific researchers. The persistence of this problem highlights the gap between how humans and machines process information, even as artificial intelligence offers promising but still imperfect solutions. The big picture: PDFs were designed as digital containers for print-oriented documents, creating a fundamental mismatch with modern data extraction needs. Their structure prioritizes visual presentation over data accessibility,...
read Mar 11, 2025Retailers racing to deploy AI while shoppers demand transparency
Time was when "auto mall" universally meant a veritable mall for automobiles. But it's transforming into a term for the automated mall experience, with both shoppers and merchants expecting to contend with AI in some form or another. A significant gap exists between retail customers and businesses regarding in-store AI implementation, though both groups recognize its potential benefits. The new Everseen survey reveals that while 65% of shoppers believe AI enhances retail convenience, 63% of retail managers view AI deployment as a competitive necessity. This alignment around AI's value comes as retailers accelerate adoption plans while navigating implementation challenges and...
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