Author: Art Ryan

Marketers have been working for years to refine their search engine optimization (SEO) strategies to ensure their company websites are visible in search results. But search powered by artificial intelligence (AI) risks making SEO all but obsolete. That’s because when a user does a search, AI-powered engines such as Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT or Perplexity answer the question directly. Users don’t have to click to the website to get the answer. These zero‑click results mean websites that normally would get traffic now see it shrinking. Businesses whose sales rely on this traffic risk not only shoppers not finding what they are searching…

Delivery company Arrive AI will begin paying vendors, clients and employees in cryptocurrency. The firm’s new Bitcoin payment plan is designed for recipients who prefer crypto over traditional dollars, according to a Monday (Aug. 25) press release. “We think cryptocurrency is a better way to pay, and as we continue to expand our footprint globally, we think our associates will be happy to have this option,” Arrive CEO Dan O’Toole, who will be the first person at the company taking part in the new practice, said in the release. The company also sees an opportunity to create its own token that would be used to pay workers and contractors, settle vendor…

Avalue Technology has launched the EMS-ARH, a modular, fanless embedded system designed for edge artificial intelligence applications. Powered by Intel’s Arrow Lake-H Core Ultra processors and integrated AI engines, the system is suitable for demanding industrial uses like intelligent surveillance, smart traffic and autonomous vehicles, according to a press release. The system’s ability to run both Windows and Linux makes it a versatile platform for various applications, including unmanned kiosks and other self-service solutions. The EMS-ARH has a modular I/O design that allows for easy customization, providing additional ports and interfaces to meet specific needs without minimum order quantities. Its…

Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered credit intelligence platform martini.ai has proposed industry-wide automation standards designed to provide a common language for describing the steps in the evolution of credit intelligence in the financial services industry. With this Financial Autonomy Ladder framework, financial institutions will be better able to adopt advanced risk management capabilities and benchmark their progress, the company said in a Tuesday (Aug. 26) press release. Martini.ai aims to make this framework a recognized standard by working with industry associations, regulators and technology providers, according to the release. The solution is modeled on SAE International’s autonomy standard used by the automotive industry, which has helped that industry set…

It is telling that even at the start of the year, when airlines were still recovering from a holiday travel crush and hotels were bracing for an uncertain economic backdrop, both industries were already talking about generative artificial intelligence (AI). The technology was new, the use cases untested, but travel companies and consumers alike were imagining how the advanced technologies might reshape the experience of moving through airports, booking rooms and planning trips. Airlines to Hotels to Beyond The report, “At Your Service: Generative AI Arrives in Travel and Hospitality” from PYMNTS Intelligence, charts how early experiments in generative AI were being piloted across airlines and hotels.…

Agentic AI’s splashy arrival on the business scene is proving to be more of a rapid sociotechnical evolution than a pure-play technological upgrade. As such, this autonomy-driven sociotechnical evolution is itself increasingly being shaped by trust, structural readiness and strategic conviction. PYMNTS Intelligence research in the August 2025 edition of The CAIO Report, “Tech on Tech: How the Technology Sector Is Powering Agentic AI Adoption,” finds that industry readiness is dividing into a clear line as firms race to move beyond generative artificial intelligence (AI) experiments toward fully agentic AI workflows where systems plan, decide and act autonomously. Sectors such as software…

Artificial intelligence (AI) is moving beyond search and recommendations into actively helping consumers shop, with new agentic AI tools designed to browse, compare and even purchase products on behalf of consumers. New data from PYMNTS Intelligence shows that AI shopping adoption is already gaining ground among younger and middle-aged consumers. About one-third of all respondents (32%) said they have used or would use generative AI for shopping. Bridge millennials — older millennials straddling Gen X — lead the way, with 38% reporting AI use for shopping. Zillennials are close behind at 36%, followed by millennials at 35% Gen X is next, at 33%, while Gen Z comes in at 31%. Baby boomers show…

Artificial intelligence startup Perplexity has announced a new subscription program called Comet Plus that it said gives users access to premium content from trusted publishers and journalists, while providing publishers with a better compensation model. “Comet Plus transforms how publishers are compensated in the AI age,” the company said in a Monday (Aug. 25) blog post. “As users demand a better internet in the age of AI, it’s time for a business model to ensure that publishers and journalists benefit from their contributions to a better internet.” Comet Plus is included in Perplexity’s Pro and Max memberships and is available as a standalone…

When Coinbase embraced artificial intelligence (AI) adoption, its CEO gave workers a week to get on board. During a podcast interview last week, Brian Armstrong said the cryptocurrency exchange had purchased enterprise licenses for GitHub Copilot and Cursor. “Like a lot of companies, we’re leaning as hard as we can into AI,” Armstrong said during an episode of Cheeky Pint, hosted by Stripe President and Co-Founder John Collison. However, some employees warned that AI adoption among Coinbase’s could take months, leading the CEO to push back. “I went rogue,” he said, and posted a mandate in Coinbase’s engineering Slack channel. “I said, ‘AI is important. We need you to all learn it and at least onboard. You don’t…

Meta reportedly plans to introduce its new smart glasses at next month’s “Connect” conference. Those glasses, Meta’s first to feature a consumer-ready display, will be announced at the annual conference along with a wristband that lets users control the glasses via hand gestures, CNBC reported Friday (Aug. 22), citing sources familiar with the matter. The glasses, codenamed “Hypernova” inside Meta, will include a small digital display in the right lens, the sources said. While this will be the company’s first pair of smart glasses with a display, Meta is keeping its sales expectations low, sources told CNBC. The reason? The device needs more…

Data analytics firm Databricks is acquiring machine learning startup Tecton. The goal is to help Databricks expand its artificial intelligence (AI) agent offerings, CEO Ali Ghodsi said in an interview with Reuters on Friday (Aug. 22). Terms of the deal were not disclosed, the report said, noting that Tecton was last valued at $900 million in 2022. The company was founded in 2020 by the creators of Uber’s AI pricing platform Michelangelo. Ghodsi said Tecton’s technology and talent could help build out Databricks’ Agent Bricks, its flagship product for building and automating workflows with AI agents, as competition to supply AI tools to businesses heats up. With…

Malaysia unveiled its own AI processor Monday, joining a global race to build the most sought-after electronic components for artificial intelligence development. Local designer SkyeChip introduced the MARS1000 at an industry association event attended by senior government officials. The chip is the country’s first edge AI processor, meaning a component that powers devices from cars to robots from within, the Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association said in a statement. The Southeast Asian nation is seeking to play a bigger role in the global chip supply chain and capitalise on the AI boom. It is already a key global player in semiconductor…

AuraChat.ai, a Los Angeles, CA-based AI-driven sales and marketing automation platform, has secured a strategic investment. Investors The investment was led by Uplist Ventures, the investment arm of ECGI Holdings Inc. Founded in 2025 and based in Irvine, California, Uplist Ventures focuses on early-stage startups in artificial intelligence (AI), healthcare technology, blockchain, vertical software, and other innovation-driven sectors. The firm seeks out companies with strong fundamentals and long-term potential to thrive in the public markets through accelerated, alternative paths to scale. AuraChat.ai Use of Funds The company will use the funds to support its U.S. expansion, entry into new industries,…

Buying furniture online these days is about as easy as hauling a sofa up a flight of stairs. Consumers browse multiple tabs, track shipping timelines in spreadsheets and screenshot products to consult with partners before finally making a purchase. That’s if they make one at all. Awaiting the more determined shopper is the task of navigating a maze of sites, carts and checkout forms. Furniture.com wants to change all that. GM Dan Russotto is steering the company from aggregator to marketplace, where discovery and purchase live under one roof. “What we’re hearing from the consumers when we do our surveys and user research is that they all want…

Lyno AI has entered its early bird phase of the presale at a token price of $0.050. The project is gaining strong attention in the AI and Web3 space as it focuses on introducing practical applications of artificial intelligence in decentralized finance. With early momentum building, Lyno AI is positioning itself to engage investors who are looking for innovation and real-world adoption in the DeFi ecosystem. Early Bird Advantage: Why Act Now? The Lyno AI presale is still in the early bird stage where tokens sell at $0.050 each. This is a sweet point of entry before the price escalates the…

 Barti Software, a leading AI-powered company that provides innovative electronic health records (EHR) and practice management software built for eye care practices, announced a $12 million Series A investment led by Five Elms Capital. This partnership will enable Barti to scale its go-to-market efforts, grow its team across key functions, and accelerate development of new AI capabilities and workflow automation as Barti expands into ophthalmology. The company will also continue expanding its integrated features to drive greater efficiency for practices and solidify its position as the complete solution for modern eye care. Co-founded by an optometrist, Barti is built to solve the…

When Amazon hired the founders of AI startup Adept last year, it was one of the first examples of what became known as a reverse acquihire — a deal where a large company hires key startup team members and licenses its technology, rather than acquiring the startup outright. Adept’s co-founder and former CEO David Luan subsequently became the head of Amazon’s new AGI Lab, and while Luan’s recent interview with The Verge is ostensibly focused on Amazon’s vision for AI agents, reporter Alex Heath also asked him about the reverse acquihire trend. Luan replied that hopes to be “remembered more as being an AI research innovator rather…

New Delhi / Bengaluru — India has rapidly evolved from a consumer-heavy market to the global frontline for artificial intelligence innovation. What’s Driving the Transformation? The Ripple Effects Bottom Line India is no longer just playing catch-up—it’s leading. With OpenAI’s physical entry, explosive user adoption, and robust government backing, the country is staking its claim as a global AI powerhouse—transforming expectations from digital consumerism to innovation hub.

Meta is partnering with Midjourney to license the startup’s AI image and video generation technology, Meta Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang announced Friday in a post on Threads. Wang says Meta’s research teams will collaborate with Midjourney to bring its technology into future AI models and products. “To ensure Meta is able to deliver the best possible products for people it will require taking an all-of-the-above approach,” Wang said. “This means world-class talent, ambitious compute roadmap, and working with the best players across the industry.” The Midjourney partnership could help Meta develop products that compete with industry-leading AI image and video models,…

Elon Musk’s xAI has made an older version of its AI model Grok — specifically, the model weights used to shape Grok 2.5 — available on the open source platform Hugging Face. “The @xAI Grok 2.5 model, which was our best model last year, is now open source,” Musk wrote on X. He added that Grok 3 “will be made open source in about 6 months.” AI engineer Tim Kellogg described the Grok license as “custom with some anti-competitive terms.” Grok, which is prominently featured on X (which in turn recently merged with xAI), has created considerable controversy this year, particularly after the chatbot seemed to become obsessed with “white genocide”…