News

Artificial Intelligence
McDonald’s Pauses Drive-Thru AI Chatbot Test Despite Growth in Voice Economy
June 17, 2024

After two years of testing, McDonald’s has ended its partnership with IBM to develop an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered drive-thru system. The collaboration, which aimed to change the fast-food ordering process by replacing human workers with voice-activated chatbots, had been a closely watched experiment in the...

Investments
Constructor Raises $25 Million for AI-Powered Product Discovery, Search Engine
June 17, 2024

Constructor has raised $25 million in a Series B funding round to support the further product development and international expansion of its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered product discovery and search platform for enterprise eCommerce companies. Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article...

Retail
Retail Expert Paco Underhill Says Boomer Purchasing Power Creates Loyalty Opportunity for Brands
June 17, 2024

With older consumers — those with the most cash to burn — proving to be more loyal than their younger counterparts, brands that can win their affinity have the opportunity to create longer-term, more valuable relationships. Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock...

Artificial Intelligence
India’s AI Aspirations Draw Multibillion Big Tech Investments
June 17, 2024

Amazon and Microsoft are reportedly investing billions in India’s artificial intelligence (AI) efforts. Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required. yesSubscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS Today. By completing this...

Banking
QED Investors’ Gerety Says BaaS Model May Be Stronger Without Synapse
June 17, 2024

The Synapse bankruptcy saga continues to rock the BaaS world, marked by last week’s revelation of $85 million in missing funds. The plot thickened last week when former CEO Sankaet Pathak disclosed in bankruptcy court that funds were commingled, leaving the task of determining rightful...

Artificial Intelligence
AI Agent Helpers Gain Traction as Zeta Labs Raises $2.9 Million
June 17, 2024

The race to develop advanced artificial intelligence (AI) agents — autonomous AI systems designed to perform complex tasks and interact with the digital world on behalf of users — is heating up. For example, San Francisco-based Zeta Labs raised $2.9 million in a pre-seed funding...

Artificial Intelligence
Apple’s AI Rollout Will Likely Stretch Into Next Year
June 16, 2024

Apple’s artificial intelligence (AI) rollout will reportedly be a long, slow one. Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required. yesSubscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS Today. By...

Artificial Intelligence
Report: OpenAI Could Become a For-Profit Business
June 16, 2024

OpenAI’s days as a nonprofit company could be numbered. Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required. yesSubscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS Today. By completing this form,...

Retail
Retailers Embrace ‘Dadcore’ Stereotypes to Combat Father’s Day Spending Pullback
June 15, 2024

As Father’s Day approaches, retailers are seizing on different paternal stereotypes to drive engagement and sales, from dad jokes to “dadcore” style to that tangle of unidentified, no-longer useful cables that so many dads seem to be unwilling to part with. Get the Full Story...