Author: Art Ryan

The AI Revolution Demands More Than Just Technology The global race to lead in artificial intelligence (AI) is not just about who builds the best algorithms or owns the fastest processors. Increasingly, it’s about who can deliver the power—literally—to support this revolutionary technology. According to leading tech executives, including Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, the biggest bottleneck in deploying state-of-the-art AI systems is not hardware but the electricity grid that powers it. Without a robust and scalable electric grid, AI infrastructure sits idle, and with it, the potential for economic growth, job creation and innovation. New York stands at a critical crossroads:…

Amazon Announces Major AI Leadership Transition Amazon has initiated a significant leadership change within its artificial intelligence division. CEO Andy Jassy informed employees that Rohit Prasad, who has led the company’s artificial general intelligence (AGI) initiative since 2023, will be stepping down at the end of the year. Prasad, a long-time Amazon executive, previously served as the chief scientist behind the Alexa voice assistant’s development and played a pivotal role in shaping the company’s AI direction, including spearheading the Nova model series. Taking over the reins is Peter DeSantis, a seasoned executive from Amazon Web Services (AWS). DeSantis will head a newly formed organization focused…

BNP Paribas has rolled out an internal artificial intelligence (AI) portal designed to speed up pitch preparation for its investment bankers, according to a Friday (Dec. 19) report from Financial News. The move is part of the firm’s wider strategy to embed generative AI into core workflows and leverage partnerships with AI model providers. The tool aims to reduce the time teams spend on manual research and slide creation by enabling rapid retrieval of relevant historical content, allowing bankers to focus more on strategic analysis and client relationships. The new AI platform functions like an intelligent search system that helps bankers uncover and…

Consumers are increasingly comfortable completing purchases directly inside artificial intelligence (AI) platforms, signaling a potential shift in how digital commerce journeys are structured. A new PYMNTS Intelligence survey of 1,425 U.S. adult consumers conducted from Oct. 14 to Oct. 29 shows that more than half of AI users would prefer to make purchases within a dedicated AI platform rather than being redirected to a merchant’s website, highlighting growing trust in AI-driven shopping experiences and a willingness to trade traditional browsing for convenience and personalization. The findings suggest AI is beginning to reshape not just product discovery but also transaction flow…

Twenty-four organizations have either expressed interest in or are already participating in projects related to the Genesis Mission, a national effort announced by the White House in November that will use artificial intelligence (AI) to make advancements in science, energy and national security. Among the organizations that have signed agreements are Anthropic, Amazon Web Services, Google, Microsoft, Nvidia, OpenAI and xAI, the Department of Energy (DOE) said in a Thursday (Dec. 18) press release. Michael Kratsios, assistant to the president and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), said in the release that these research partnerships are “only the beginning” and that the Genesis Mission aims to include companies, universities, non-profits and federal…

OpenAI opened its ChatGPT App Directory on Wednesday (Dec. 17), which is a marketplace of third-party applications that run directly within the ChatGPT interface. The move allows developers to submit apps for review and publication, and users to discover and use those apps without leaving ChatGPT, shifting how digital services and AI interactions can be delivered and monetized. The ChatGPT app store, accessible via the tools menu in ChatGPT or at chatgpt.com/apps, includes integrations that span utilities such as music playback, food ordering, research assistance and more, integrating services from major brands directly into the AI chat experience. Apps are not simple plugins;…

OpenAI reportedly aims to raise as much as $100 billion at a valuation of about $750 billion. The artificial intelligence (AI) startup is in early talks with investors about a funding round, and nothing has been finalized, The Information reported Wednesday (Dec. 17), citing unnamed sources. OpenAI did not immediately reply to PYMNTS’ request for comment. The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday (Dec. 18), citing unnamed sources, that OpenAI is seeking as much as $100 billion in a funding round that could value the company at $830 billion. It was reported Tuesday (Dec. 16) that Amazon is in discussions to invest around $10 billion in OpenAI and…

Visa is on track to offer artificial intelligence-enabled commerce to consumers within months and expects that millions of consumers will be using AI agents to complete purchases by the end of 2026. The company said this Thursday (Dec. 18) while announcing that it and several partners have successfully completed hundreds of agent-initiated transactions. “This holiday season marks the end of an era,” Rubail Birwadker, senior vice president, head of growth products and partnerships at Visa, said in a Thursday press release. “In 2026, AI agents won’t just assist your shopping — they will complete your purchases, powered by Visa’s global scale, standards leadership…

Meta’s chief AI scientist is reportedly in early talks to raise $585 million for his new startup. That’s according to a report Thursday (Dec. 18) by the Financial Times (FT), which says this funding would value Yann LeCun’s company — called Advanced Machine Intelligence (AMI) Labs — at around $3 billion before its official launch. LeCun, who announced his pending departure from Meta last month, has tapped Alexandre LeBrun, founder of French health tech startup Nabla, to serve as the startup’s CEO, the report added, citing sources familiar with the matter. According to the report, the startup will focus on developing a new generation…

OpenAI has reportedly made deep inroads with American colleges. The artificial intelligence (AI) startup has sold more than 700,000 licenses for its ChatGPT product to around 35 universities for use by faculty and students, Bloomberg News reported Thursday (Dec. 18), citing a review of purchase orders. The report adds that the true number could be much higher, as private schools’ purchasing records aren’t readily available to the public. An OpenAI spokesperson told Bloomberg that the company has sold “well over a million” licenses to colleges around the world. Bloomberg notes that OpenAI is continuing a long-held practice in the tech industry of offering…

Artificial intelligence is changing jobs faster than companies can reorganize them, and a new set of data shows that the impact is far more uneven and complex than early predictions suggested. The PYMNTS Intelligence report “The Chief AI Officer: Managing Machines and Minds” examines how 60 companies across goods, services and technology sectors are adapting to AI’s influence on work. Its findings show a labor market in transition as firms use automation to increase efficiency while also creating new roles and contending with rising skill demands. The report concludes that artificial intelligence is not removing workers as much as it…

Digital analytics platform Contentsquare has launched a new partnership with Shopify. The collaboration, announced Wednesday (Dec. 17), is designed to combine Shopify’s eCommerce platform and Contentsquare’s behavioral insights to offer businesses an “end-to-end view of the customer experience — from first interaction through post-purchase.” eCommerce, product and marketing teams can use this to pinpoint what drives conversions, what causes customers to slow down, and where to focus on optimization for maximum impact, the companies said in a news release. “Shopify gives brands the foundation to grow, and Contentsquare shows them how to make every customer interaction count,” said Jean-Christophe Pitié, Contentsquare’s chief marketing and product officer. “With this partnership, teams…

Amazon has formed a new organization that will bring together its artificial intelligence (AI) models, silicon development and quantum computing. The company’s artificial general intelligence (AGI) team will be included in the organization, as will the Nova AI models and the Graviton, Trainium and Nitro products, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said in a Wednesday (Dec. 17) message shared with employees and posted online. The new organization will be led by Peter DeSantis, who has been with Amazon for 27 years, most recently leading all the company’s AWS Utility Computing services, according to the message. “With our Nova 2 models just launched at re:Invent, our custom silicon growing rapidly, and the advantages of optimizing across models, chips, and cloud software and infrastructure,…

DoorDash rolled out Zesty, an AI-powered mobile app designed not for ordering food but for discovering where to eat next, marking a strategic move for the company. The standalone platform now in public beta in New York and the San Francisco Bay Area uses conversational artificial intelligence and social signals to help users traverse the crowded world of restaurant options without traditional searching or manual review-reading. The launch this week arrives at a moment when consumer habits around digital discovery are rapidly shifting. Data from PYMNTS Intelligence suggests roughly 30 million U.S. consumers have abandoned traditional search in favor of AI-driven, outcome-oriented interactions where the expectation is immediate, tailored answers rather than lists of links. From Logistic Platform…

A growing number of consumers will be able to shop for groceries in OpenAI’s ChatGPT, check out on DoorDash, and have their orders delivered from local grocery stores in as little as an hour. This experience is enabled by the new DoorDash app in ChatGPT, the companies said in a Wednesday (Dec. 17) press release. The DoorDash app in ChatGPT is live for select users and will expand to all customers within weeks, according to the release. To launch this new experience, users enable DoorDash in ChatGPT, ask the chatbot for meal or recipe suggestions, ask it to shop for the ingredients using the…

Big Tech’s artificial intelligence (AI) push is accelerating on multiple fronts, from productivity agents embedded in everyday software to deeper bets on infrastructure, content and consumer hardware. Google’s CC AI Agent Google has announced CC, a new AI agent integrated across Gmail, Google Calendar, and Drive designed to help users plan and manage their daily workflow. The agent generates a personalized “Your Day Ahead” briefing each morning, consolidating upcoming meetings, tasks and relevant context to help users prioritize efficiently. Users can also request CC to draft emails, set appointments, create calendar links, and capture ideas in natural language via email prompts. CC is available in early access…

Revenue platform Sequence has secured $20 million in new funding. The company says its Series A round, announced Tuesday (Dec. 16), will allow it to continue what it calls the work of eliminating “the most manual and painful parts of revenue operations.” This includes things like billing and invoice automation to real-time revenue recognition, with Sequence employing artificial intelligence to turn “days of work” into an automated workflow. “Despite innovation in spend management, payroll and payments in the last decade, revenue workflows (pricing, billing, collections, revenue recognition) have lagged behind,” the company said in a news release. Revenue and finance teams depend on “spreadsheets,…

Visa and cybersecurity and cloud computing company Akamai Technologies are collaborating to strengthen the trust layer in agentic commerce. This collaboration will integrate Visa’s Trusted Agent Protocol with Akamai’s edge-based behavioral intelligence, user recognition, and bot and abuse protection, the companies said in a Wednesday (Dec. 17) press release emailed to PYMNTS. By bringing together these solutions, the companies aim to help merchants identify a legitimate artificial intelligence (AI) agent and its intent, link the agent to the consumer it represents, and enable secure payment interactions, according to the release. “By combining the Visa Trusted Agent Protocol with Akamai’s deep user recognition and threat intelligence,…

Amazon is reportedly in discussions to invest around $10 billion in OpenAI. That investment could value the artificial intelligence startup at upwards of $500 billion, Reuters reported late Tuesday (Dec. 16), citing a source familiar with the matter. That source said the talks between the companies are “very fluid.” Reuters added that its report followed an earlier one from The Information, which said Amazon aims to use Amazon’s Trainium chips, which compete with Nvidia and Google’s chips, and that this funding could open the door to a larger round with other investors. OpenAI is also hoping to sell an enterprise version of ChatGPT to Amazon,…

Key Highlights: If you are someone who posts a lot of Reels on Instagram, then you probably know about the Edits app. The company announced it back in April this year, as a move to give creators an easy way to edit their Reels, post directly to Instagram or Facebook, without leaving the app, and share those to family and friends. Now, the company is doubling down on what I’d like to call mobile-first video editing. AI effects powered by SAM 3 inside the Edits app Yesterday, Meta rolled out a fresh update for the Edits app that puts creators in the…