Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, is intensifying its commitment to its community with a suite of new features and improvements designed to create deeper connections and enhance user engagement.
\nThe latest updates aim to make communication more dynamic and content more engaging.
\nEarlier this month, Snap officials announced the company reached a milestone during the second quarter: 850 million monthly active users.
\n\u201cOur community grew to reach more than 850 million monthly active users in Q2, with more than 11 million Snapchat+ subscribers,\u201d Snap CEO Evan Spiegel said in an earnings release, as the company moves toward its goal of 1 billion monthly users.
\nDuring the second quarter of 2024, Snapchat introduced several innovations to enrich user interactions and increase engagement. One of the features, Map Reactions, allows users to send emojis on the Snap Map, creating a new way to start conversations and share moments with friends. This addition is part of Snapchat\u2019s broader strategy to make communication more expressive and engaging.
\nAnother update, Editable Chats, lets users modify messages within five minutes of sending, adding a layer of flexibility to conversations. Additionally, the My AI Reminders feature enables users to set alerts for deadlines, helping them stay organized and connected in their daily lives.
\nSnap\u2019s strategy to drive daily active user growth and engagement is focused on improving the way Snapchatters communicate and interact with their friends, family and the world, Spiegel noted.
\n\u201cWe have delivered a number of new communication features and user experience enhancements in recent months to execute on this strategic initiative,\u201d he said in the company\u2019s Q2 shareholder letter.
\n\u201cThese improvements have contributed to all-time highs in the number of daily active users sending Snaps in every region, which is an important input to sustained daily engagement,\u201d he added in the letter.
\nGlobal time spent watching content increased 25% year over year and 10% quarter over quarter, driven by the popularity of Spotlight and Creator Stories, the letter said. Snapchat is unifying its content ranking models across these platforms to deliver consistently engaging material. The number of creators submitting Spotlight content grew by over 20% year over year, highlighting the platform\u2019s expanding content ecosystem and role in fostering creativity.
\nMeanwhile, the company\u2019s partnership with Live Nation, branded as Snap Nation, marks an expansion in content offerings, providing Snapchatters with exclusive access to tour and festival experiences.
\nMachine learning and generative artificial intelligence are at the heart of Snapchat\u2019s strategy to deepen user connections and enrich experiences. The company is using these technologies to improve content ranking and personalization, ensuring that users see more of what interests them. Enhancements in AR Lens recommendations are designed to make interactions more engaging and tailored to individual preferences.
\nAugmented reality (AR) continues to be a central focus, with Snapchatters increasingly sharing AR Lens experiences. The number of Snapchatters sharing AR Lens experiences with their friends rose by 12% year over year, driven by the popularity of new generative AI lenses. The ML Scribble World Lens, which transforms users into cartoon-style versions of themselves, was viewed over 1 billion times, Spiegel noted in the letter. The 90s AI Lens attracted more than 20% of U.S. Snapchatters.
\nAlso in the quarter, a generative AI Lens was launched in collaboration with Beyonc\u00e9 for her \u201cCowboy Carter\u201d album. This lens achieved 80 million engagements in just three days, illustrating the impact of integrating high-profile collaborations with innovative technology, the letter said.
\nAnother new addition engaging Snapchatters is Snapchat\u2019s Lens Studio 5.0, per the letter. With a new GenAI Suite, creators can generate lenses quickly using text prompts without coding skills. The tool is part of Snapchat\u2019s broader effort to cultivate a creator community and drive further innovation in AR experiences.
\nSnapchat is also making investments to enhance the performance of its iOS app, the letter said. These improvements include better battery management, faster app and screen loading, and enhanced camera quality.
\nThe post Snapchat Boosts Engagement With New Tools, AR Upgrades, Expanded Creative Content appeared first on PYMNTS.com.
\n", "content_text": "Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, is intensifying its commitment to its community with a suite of new features and improvements designed to create deeper connections and enhance user engagement.\nThe latest updates aim to make communication more dynamic and content more engaging.\nEarlier this month, Snap officials announced the company reached a milestone during the second quarter: 850 million monthly active users.\n\u201cOur community grew to reach more than 850 million monthly active users in Q2, with more than 11 million Snapchat+ subscribers,\u201d Snap CEO Evan Spiegel said in an earnings release, as the company moves toward its goal of 1 billion monthly users.\nInroads to User Engagement\nDuring the second quarter of 2024, Snapchat introduced several innovations to enrich user interactions and increase engagement. One of the features, Map Reactions, allows users to send emojis on the Snap Map, creating a new way to start conversations and share moments with friends. This addition is part of Snapchat\u2019s broader strategy to make communication more expressive and engaging.\nAnother update, Editable Chats, lets users modify messages within five minutes of sending, adding a layer of flexibility to conversations. Additionally, the My AI Reminders feature enables users to set alerts for deadlines, helping them stay organized and connected in their daily lives.\nSnap\u2019s strategy to drive daily active user growth and engagement is focused on improving the way Snapchatters communicate and interact with their friends, family and the world, Spiegel noted.\n\u201cWe have delivered a number of new communication features and user experience enhancements in recent months to execute on this strategic initiative,\u201d he said in the company\u2019s Q2 shareholder letter.\n\u201cThese improvements have contributed to all-time highs in the number of daily active users sending Snaps in every region, which is an important input to sustained daily engagement,\u201d he added in the letter.\nGlobal time spent watching content increased 25% year over year and 10% quarter over quarter, driven by the popularity of Spotlight and Creator Stories, the letter said. Snapchat is unifying its content ranking models across these platforms to deliver consistently engaging material. The number of creators submitting Spotlight content grew by over 20% year over year, highlighting the platform\u2019s expanding content ecosystem and role in fostering creativity.\nPartnerships for User Experiences\nMeanwhile, the company\u2019s partnership with Live Nation, branded as Snap Nation, marks an expansion in content offerings, providing Snapchatters with exclusive access to tour and festival experiences.\nMachine learning and generative artificial intelligence are at the heart of Snapchat\u2019s strategy to deepen user connections and enrich experiences. The company is using these technologies to improve content ranking and personalization, ensuring that users see more of what interests them. Enhancements in AR Lens recommendations are designed to make interactions more engaging and tailored to individual preferences.\nAugmented reality (AR) continues to be a central focus, with Snapchatters increasingly sharing AR Lens experiences. The number of Snapchatters sharing AR Lens experiences with their friends rose by 12% year over year, driven by the popularity of new generative AI lenses. The ML Scribble World Lens, which transforms users into cartoon-style versions of themselves, was viewed over 1 billion times, Spiegel noted in the letter. The 90s AI Lens attracted more than 20% of U.S. Snapchatters.\nAlso in the quarter, a generative AI Lens was launched in collaboration with Beyonc\u00e9 for her \u201cCowboy Carter\u201d album. This lens achieved 80 million engagements in just three days, illustrating the impact of integrating high-profile collaborations with innovative technology, the letter said.\nAnother new addition engaging Snapchatters is Snapchat\u2019s Lens Studio 5.0, per the letter. With a new GenAI Suite, creators can generate lenses quickly using text prompts without coding skills. The tool is part of Snapchat\u2019s broader effort to cultivate a creator community and drive further innovation in AR experiences.\nSnapchat is also making investments to enhance the performance of its iOS app, the letter said. These improvements include better battery management, faster app and screen loading, and enhanced camera quality.\nThe post Snapchat Boosts Engagement With New Tools, AR Upgrades, Expanded Creative Content appeared first on PYMNTS.com.", "date_published": "2024-08-09T18:02:26-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-08-09T18:02:26-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Snapchat.jpg", "tags": [ "artificial intelligence", "Augmented Reality", "digital transformation", "Earnings", "GenAI", "Innovation", "Live Nation", "Mobile Applications", "News", "partnerships", "PYMNTS News", "Snap", "Snapchat", "Social Media", "Technology" ] }, { "id": "https://www.pymnts.com/?p=2050166", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/technology/2024/they-said-that-notable-quotables-for-the-week-of-august-5/", "title": "They Said That: Notable Quotables for the Week of August 5", "content_html": "While you were watching track and field, basketball, fencing and swimming we were keeping our usual close eye on the \u201cfaster, higher, stronger\u201d world of payments, banking and the connected economy. And now that your eyes have had a bit of a workout with that compound sentence, here are some of the best quotes from our interviews during the week ending Aug. 9.
\nWe started in the world of banking architecture. In \u201cGalileo Says Wire Transfers Go Big and Go Digital With New APIs,\u201d Galileo Financial Technologies\u00a0Chief Product Officer\u00a0David Feuer\u00a0told PYMNTS that same-day, faster\u00a0wire transfers\u00a0are set to help transform a broad line of business and consumer use cases with real-time notifications. \u201cWhile FedNow brings this real-time API nature\u201d to transactions, \u201cit\u2019s still at the end of the day using Fedwire, which is terrific because as we build this wires functionality on top of Fedwire, we can add FedNow as an iterative feature set on top of it and not have\u00a0to completely rebuild our connectivity to the Fed,\u201d he said. \u201cCreating a developer-friendly interface in front of Fedwire makes it much more easily consumable and quick because it\u2019s bringing that speed of API to a system that wasn\u2019t always API-enabled. Being able to provide APIs in front of it and getting that wire sent very quickly and settled very quickly\u00a0really\u00a0brings that physiological safety to the customer where they know the transaction has occurred and settled and is irrevocable.\u201d
\nThen we shifted to digital healthcare. In an era where\u00a0digital transformation\u00a0is sweeping across industries, the healthcare sector\u00a0finds itself grappling\u00a0with the challenge of modernizing its payment systems. In \u201cThe Road to Digital Healthcare Payments Starts With a Few Cashless Steps, Says Bank of America,\u201d Simon Abtalion, healthcare solutions executive at\u00a0Bank of America, told us: \u201cHistorically, [as it relates to payment flows between patients, providers\u00a0and\u00a0payors,] healthcare has not been a leader in technology adoption nor deployment, and \u2026 for that reason, it\u2019s been challenging to keep up with the evolving needs and expectations of patients.\u201d
\nIt was a big week for retailing interviews. Here we started with an interview with Grubhub\u2019s Kiran Chandran, the aggregator\u2019s vice president of product and design, who discussed how transparency will encourage shoppers to trade up. In \u201cGrubhub VP Says in-App Wallet Could Boost Average Check,\u201d we learned that the company announced earlier this month the launch of several new features, including an in-app\u00a0digital wallet\u00a0that shows consumers the credits they have available, such as gift cards and rewards benefits. \u201cBy seeing it first thing, users\u00a0are able\u00a0to\u00a0better assess\u00a0the credit they have available, which they then keep top of mind throughout the ordering process,\u201d Chandran said. \u201cFor example, a user could open the app, see their available funds\u00a0and be pleasantly surprised that they have more credit than they originally thought. This might encourage them to add a side to an entree or get a dessert or drink with their meal\u00a0as well.\u201d
\nWe also landed an interview with Macy\u2019s. In \u201cMacy\u2019s VP: Restructuring Aims to Elevate Customer Experience and Drive Growth,\u201d\u00a0PJ Singh, vice president of stores strategy and product management at Macy\u2019s, discussed the company\u2019s reorganization strategy. \u201cIt is rooted in investments and learnings that we\u2019ve iterated over the past year, but more importantly, it\u2019s a signal to our organization that is driving a major shift in culture,\u201d Singh said. \u201cWe believe that a more engaged and inspired colleague community is vital before you go external and reach your customer. As a result, we are taking an inside-out approach to delivering customer experience and challenging ourselves on the things our customers have told us are points of friction.\u201d
\nOn the social commerce side of the house, in \u201cQVC CEO Aims Social Commerce at Gen Z Parents,\u201d Qurate Retail President and CEO\u00a0David Rawlinson\u00a0talked about how the live shopping brand\u2019s\u00a0Age of Possibility campaign, launched in the spring, has enabled it \u201cto better serve the attractive demographic of women 50-plus,\u201d collaborating with 50 celebrity women over\u00a0the age of\u00a050. The campaign has been successful at drawing digital engagement. \u201cSince launch, we have experienced\u00a0strong\u00a0initial reaction to this campaign, with 38 billion earned media impressions, 330,000 new Facebook community members, a nearly 200% increase in the number of QVC social followers\u00a0and\u00a0more than 1 million visits to [the] QVC campaign website,\u201d Rawlinson said. \u201cWe saw strong demand from Age-of-Possibility-related brands in Q2, with collective demand for the existing 12 brands up low-double-digits after the campaign launch.\u201d
\nAnd as always, we end with fraud. \u201cIn Putting \u2018Scam Dens\u2019 Out of Business Means Using AI to Fight AI,\u201d we learned that Featurespace has been investing in advanced algorithms to underpin fraud prevention efforts. Last year it launched\u00a0TallierLTM, the world\u2019s first\u00a0large transaction model, which uses\u00a0generative AI\u00a0to improve fraud value detection by up to 71%. \u201cWhat\u00a0OpenAI\u00a0did around language and words, we\u2019ve created for the payments environment \u2014 modeling what genuine behaviors and transactions will look like,\u201d said Featurespace\u00a0Chief Operating Officer\u00a0Tim Vanderham\u00a0told PYMNTS\u2019\u00a0Karen Webster. \u201cWhen you think about the billions and billions of dollars that come from\u00a0scams\u00a0globally,\u201d the money made from illicit gains overshadows the revenues of some of the largest businesses around the globe. \u201cWe have to make sure that we\u2019re using advanced data algorithms and machine learning over this data to combat the fraud and to do everything we can to allow consumers to transact more freely.\u201d
\nThe post They Said That: Notable Quotables for the Week of August 5 appeared first on PYMNTS.com.
\n", "content_text": "While you were watching track and field, basketball, fencing and swimming we were keeping our usual close eye on the \u201cfaster, higher, stronger\u201d world of payments, banking and the connected economy. And now that your eyes have had a bit of a workout with that compound sentence, here are some of the best quotes from our interviews during the week ending Aug. 9.\nWe started in the world of banking architecture. In \u201cGalileo Says Wire Transfers Go Big and Go Digital With New APIs,\u201d Galileo Financial Technologies\u00a0Chief Product Officer\u00a0David Feuer\u00a0told PYMNTS that same-day, faster\u00a0wire transfers\u00a0are set to help transform a broad line of business and consumer use cases with real-time notifications. \u201cWhile FedNow brings this real-time API nature\u201d to transactions, \u201cit\u2019s still at the end of the day using Fedwire, which is terrific because as we build this wires functionality on top of Fedwire, we can add FedNow as an iterative feature set on top of it and not have\u00a0to completely rebuild our connectivity to the Fed,\u201d he said. \u201cCreating a developer-friendly interface in front of Fedwire makes it much more easily consumable and quick because it\u2019s bringing that speed of API to a system that wasn\u2019t always API-enabled. Being able to provide APIs in front of it and getting that wire sent very quickly and settled very quickly\u00a0really\u00a0brings that physiological safety to the customer where they know the transaction has occurred and settled and is irrevocable.\u201d\nThen we shifted to digital healthcare. In an era where\u00a0digital transformation\u00a0is sweeping across industries, the healthcare sector\u00a0finds itself grappling\u00a0with the challenge of modernizing its payment systems. In \u201cThe Road to Digital Healthcare Payments Starts With a Few Cashless Steps, Says Bank of America,\u201d Simon Abtalion, healthcare solutions executive at\u00a0Bank of America, told us: \u201cHistorically, [as it relates to payment flows between patients, providers\u00a0and\u00a0payors,] healthcare has not been a leader in technology adoption nor deployment, and \u2026 for that reason, it\u2019s been challenging to keep up with the evolving needs and expectations of patients.\u201d\nIt was a big week for retailing interviews. Here we started with an interview with Grubhub\u2019s Kiran Chandran, the aggregator\u2019s vice president of product and design, who discussed how transparency will encourage shoppers to trade up. In \u201cGrubhub VP Says in-App Wallet Could Boost Average Check,\u201d we learned that the company announced earlier this month the launch of several new features, including an in-app\u00a0digital wallet\u00a0that shows consumers the credits they have available, such as gift cards and rewards benefits. \u201cBy seeing it first thing, users\u00a0are able\u00a0to\u00a0better assess\u00a0the credit they have available, which they then keep top of mind throughout the ordering process,\u201d Chandran said. \u201cFor example, a user could open the app, see their available funds\u00a0and be pleasantly surprised that they have more credit than they originally thought. This might encourage them to add a side to an entree or get a dessert or drink with their meal\u00a0as well.\u201d\nWe also landed an interview with Macy\u2019s. In \u201cMacy\u2019s VP: Restructuring Aims to Elevate Customer Experience and Drive Growth,\u201d\u00a0PJ Singh, vice president of stores strategy and product management at Macy\u2019s, discussed the company\u2019s reorganization strategy. \u201cIt is rooted in investments and learnings that we\u2019ve iterated over the past year, but more importantly, it\u2019s a signal to our organization that is driving a major shift in culture,\u201d Singh said. \u201cWe believe that a more engaged and inspired colleague community is vital before you go external and reach your customer. As a result, we are taking an inside-out approach to delivering customer experience and challenging ourselves on the things our customers have told us are points of friction.\u201d\nOn the social commerce side of the house, in \u201cQVC CEO Aims Social Commerce at Gen Z Parents,\u201d Qurate Retail President and CEO\u00a0David Rawlinson\u00a0talked about how the live shopping brand\u2019s\u00a0Age of Possibility campaign, launched in the spring, has enabled it \u201cto better serve the attractive demographic of women 50-plus,\u201d collaborating with 50 celebrity women over\u00a0the age of\u00a050. The campaign has been successful at drawing digital engagement. \u201cSince launch, we have experienced\u00a0strong\u00a0initial reaction to this campaign, with 38 billion earned media impressions, 330,000 new Facebook community members, a nearly 200% increase in the number of QVC social followers\u00a0and\u00a0more than 1 million visits to [the] QVC campaign website,\u201d Rawlinson said. \u201cWe saw strong demand from Age-of-Possibility-related brands in Q2, with collective demand for the existing 12 brands up low-double-digits after the campaign launch.\u201d\nAnd as always, we end with fraud. \u201cIn Putting \u2018Scam Dens\u2019 Out of Business Means Using AI to Fight AI,\u201d we learned that Featurespace has been investing in advanced algorithms to underpin fraud prevention efforts. Last year it launched\u00a0TallierLTM, the world\u2019s first\u00a0large transaction model, which uses\u00a0generative AI\u00a0to improve fraud value detection by up to 71%. \u201cWhat\u00a0OpenAI\u00a0did around language and words, we\u2019ve created for the payments environment \u2014 modeling what genuine behaviors and transactions will look like,\u201d said Featurespace\u00a0Chief Operating Officer\u00a0Tim Vanderham\u00a0told PYMNTS\u2019\u00a0Karen Webster. \u201cWhen you think about the billions and billions of dollars that come from\u00a0scams\u00a0globally,\u201d the money made from illicit gains overshadows the revenues of some of the largest businesses around the globe. \u201cWe have to make sure that we\u2019re using advanced data algorithms and machine learning over this data to combat the fraud and to do everything we can to allow consumers to transact more freely.\u201d\nThe post They Said That: Notable Quotables for the Week of August 5 appeared first on PYMNTS.com.", "date_published": "2024-08-09T16:02:24-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-08-09T16:02:24-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/They-Said-That.png", "tags": [ "Bank of America", "banking", "Digital Payments", "digital transformation", "digital wallets", "Featurespace", "fraud", "Galileo Financial Technologies", "grubhub", "Healthcare", "Macy\u2019s", "News", "PYMNTS News", "Qurate Retail", "QVC", "Retail", "They Said That", "Technology" ] }, { "id": "https://www.pymnts.com/?p=2017601", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/technology/2024/googles-5-billion-bet-on-the-bumpy-road-to-self-driving-cars/", "title": "Google\u2019s $5 Billion Bet on the Bumpy Road to Self-Driving Cars", "content_html": "Since the industrial revolution first brought machines into prominence, self-driving vehicles have populated future visions.
\nAnd with the news that the autonomous delivery robot marketplace is getting a shot in the arm from artificial intelligence (AI), observers are wondering just when self-driving, autonomous vehicles will be a scalable, real-world reality.
\nAfter all, it was just this week that Alphabet announced in its quarterly materials and earnings call that it was investing an additional $5 billion in Waymo, the autonomous-driving business that originally took to the road over a decade and a half ago as Google\u2019s own self-driving car project. Waymo has yet to turn a profit.
\nMeanwhile, General Motors (GM) said on Tuesday (July 23) it was \u201cindefinitely suspending\u201d work on Origin, the name of the autonomous vehicle produced by GM\u2019s self-driving subsidiary Cruise. Cruise\u2019s driverless taxi product, for its part, has restarted test operations in Dallas, Houston and Phoenix, the company said during its Tuesday earnings call, noting that the service is in a testing phase-only and will not be open to customers.
\n\u201cOur vision to transform mobility using autonomous technology is unchanged, and every mile traveled, and every simulation, brings us closer because Cruise is an AI-first company,\u201d said GM CEO Mary Barra in her most recent shareholder letter.
\nElectric vehicle (EV) automaker Tesla, perhaps the company most synonymous with self-driving cars, or at least promises of them, is postponing its planned Aug. 8 robotaxi unveiling to October. CEO Elon Musk had predicted in 2019 that Tesla would\u00a0launch a robotaxi\u00a0by 2020.
\n\u201cThe value of Tesla overwhelmingly is autonomy,\u201d Musk said on the company\u2019s earnings call Tuesday. \u201cThese other things are in the noise relative to autonomy.\u201d
\nRead more: From Factories to the Fast Lane, Unpacking Autonomy\u2019s Potential
\nAutonomous vehicles (AVs) encompass a broad range of technologies that enable vehicles to operate without human intervention. This category includes self-driving cars, trucks, drones and other robotic delivery systems. The development of AVs is being driven by advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, sensors, and connectivity, with major players and upstarts alike leading the charge.
\nOne of those upstarts, Kodiak, announced on Tuesday that it plans to launch a fully driverless commercial trucking service in partnership with Atlas Energy Solutions, a provider of sand and oilfield logistics.
\n\u201cThe Permian Basin\u2019s expansive private lease road network, which expands across the Delaware and Midland Basins, is an ideal environment in which to introduce autonomous trucking in North America,\u201d Atlas Chief Supply Chain Officer Chris Scholla said in a statement.
\n\u201cDeploying driverless trucks with Atlas marks the beginning of a new era for autonomous vehicles,\u201d Kodiak founder and CEO Don Burnette added. \u201cOur partnership with Atlas will make us the first autonomous semi-truck company to establish commercial driverless operations, and the first company to make autonomous trucking a real business. We look forward to scaling our trucking product not only in the Permian Basin, but also over-the-road.\u201d\u200b\u200b
\nElsewhere, Toyota-backed startup May Mobility announced last week (July 16) that more than 10,000 riders have used its\u00a0goMARTI\u00a0autonomous vehicle service in\u00a0Grand Rapids, Minn.\u00a0since its launch in\u00a0September 2022.
\n\u201cI believe in our lifetime, not just automobiles, but every piece of moving machinery on the face of the earth will be automated. And the smart infrastructure that oversees it and supports it will also be automated,\u201d May Mobility CFO Anna Brunelle told PYMNTS in February for the series \u201cDay In The Life Of A CFO.\u201d
\nRead more: Musk\u2019s xAI Plans Spotlight Tesla\u2019s Autonomy Challenges
\nWhile the potential benefits of autonomous vehicles are substantial, their widespread adoption also presents challenges. These include regulatory hurdles, cybersecurity risks and the potential displacement of jobs in sectors such as trucking and logistics. Ensuring the safety and reliability of AVs is paramount, particularly in mixed-traffic environments where human drivers and autonomous vehicles must coexist.
\nAs PYMNTS\u00a0previously reported, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating Tesla\u2019s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) systems following crashes that continued to occur despite a December recall of over 2 million vehicles.
\n\u201cThe environment is becoming much more complex to manage, which is where more advanced\u00a0technologies\u00a0come into the picture, and why you need data,\u201d\u00a0NoTraffic\u00a0CEO and Co-founder\u00a0Tal Kreisler\u00a0told PYMNTS in April about connected autonomous systems.
\nThe post Google\u2019s $5 Billion Bet on the Bumpy Road to Self-Driving Cars appeared first on PYMNTS.com.
\n", "content_text": "Since the industrial revolution first brought machines into prominence, self-driving vehicles have populated future visions.\nAnd with the news that the autonomous delivery robot marketplace is getting a shot in the arm from artificial intelligence (AI), observers are wondering just when self-driving, autonomous vehicles will be a scalable, real-world reality.\nAfter all, it was just this week that Alphabet announced in its quarterly materials and earnings call that it was investing an additional $5 billion in Waymo, the autonomous-driving business that originally took to the road over a decade and a half ago as Google\u2019s own self-driving car project. Waymo has yet to turn a profit.\nMeanwhile, General Motors (GM) said on Tuesday (July 23) it was \u201cindefinitely suspending\u201d work on Origin, the name of the autonomous vehicle produced by GM\u2019s self-driving subsidiary Cruise. Cruise\u2019s driverless taxi product, for its part, has restarted test operations in Dallas, Houston and Phoenix, the company said during its Tuesday earnings call, noting that the service is in a testing phase-only and will not be open to customers.\n\u201cOur vision to transform mobility using autonomous technology is unchanged, and every mile traveled, and every simulation, brings us closer because Cruise is an AI-first company,\u201d said GM CEO Mary Barra in her most recent shareholder letter.\nElectric vehicle (EV) automaker Tesla, perhaps the company most synonymous with self-driving cars, or at least promises of them, is postponing its planned Aug. 8 robotaxi unveiling to October. CEO Elon Musk had predicted in 2019 that Tesla would\u00a0launch a robotaxi\u00a0by 2020.\n\u201cThe value of Tesla overwhelmingly is autonomy,\u201d Musk said on the company\u2019s earnings call Tuesday. \u201cThese other things are in the noise relative to autonomy.\u201d\nRead more: From Factories to the Fast Lane, Unpacking Autonomy\u2019s Potential\nTransforming the Connected Supply Chain and Digital Economy\nAutonomous vehicles (AVs) encompass a broad range of technologies that enable vehicles to operate without human intervention. This category includes self-driving cars, trucks, drones and other robotic delivery systems. The development of AVs is being driven by advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, sensors, and connectivity, with major players and upstarts alike leading the charge.\nOne of those upstarts, Kodiak, announced on Tuesday that it plans to launch a fully driverless commercial trucking service in partnership with Atlas Energy Solutions, a provider of sand and oilfield logistics.\n\u201cThe Permian Basin\u2019s expansive private lease road network, which expands across the Delaware and Midland Basins, is an ideal environment in which to introduce autonomous trucking in North America,\u201d Atlas Chief Supply Chain Officer Chris Scholla said in a statement.\n\u201cDeploying driverless trucks with Atlas marks the beginning of a new era for autonomous vehicles,\u201d Kodiak founder and CEO Don Burnette added. \u201cOur partnership with Atlas will make us the first autonomous semi-truck company to establish commercial driverless operations, and the first company to make autonomous trucking a real business. We look forward to scaling our trucking product not only in the Permian Basin, but also over-the-road.\u201d\u200b\u200b\nElsewhere, Toyota-backed startup May Mobility announced last week (July 16) that more than 10,000 riders have used its\u00a0goMARTI\u00a0autonomous vehicle service in\u00a0Grand Rapids, Minn.\u00a0since its launch in\u00a0September 2022.\n\u201cI believe in our lifetime, not just automobiles, but every piece of moving machinery on the face of the earth will be automated. And the smart infrastructure that oversees it and supports it will also be automated,\u201d May Mobility CFO Anna Brunelle told PYMNTS in February for the series \u201cDay In The Life Of A CFO.\u201d\nRead more: Musk\u2019s xAI Plans Spotlight Tesla\u2019s Autonomy Challenges\nThe Ongoing Challenges to Unlocking Autonomy\u2019s Potential \nWhile the potential benefits of autonomous vehicles are substantial, their widespread adoption also presents challenges. These include regulatory hurdles, cybersecurity risks and the potential displacement of jobs in sectors such as trucking and logistics. Ensuring the safety and reliability of AVs is paramount, particularly in mixed-traffic environments where human drivers and autonomous vehicles must coexist.\nAs PYMNTS\u00a0previously reported, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating Tesla\u2019s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) systems following crashes that continued to occur despite a December recall of over 2 million vehicles.\n\u201cThe environment is becoming much more complex to manage, which is where more advanced\u00a0technologies\u00a0come into the picture, and why you need data,\u201d\u00a0NoTraffic\u00a0CEO and Co-founder\u00a0Tal Kreisler\u00a0told PYMNTS in April about connected autonomous systems.\nThe post Google\u2019s $5 Billion Bet on the Bumpy Road to Self-Driving Cars appeared first on PYMNTS.com.", "date_published": "2024-07-26T16:56:04-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-07-26T16:56:04-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/self-driving-electric-vehicles-apple-ford.jpg", "tags": [ "Alphabet", "Atlas Energy Solutions", "automotive", "Autonomous vehicles", "general motors", "GM", "Google", "Kodiak", "May Mobility", "News", "PYMNTS News", "Self-Driving Cars", "startups", "Technology", "Tesla", "Waymo" ] }, { "id": "https://www.pymnts.com/?p=2017566", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/technology/2024/they-said-that-notable-quotables-from-the-week-of-july-22/", "title": "They Said That: Notable Quotables From the Week of July 22", "content_html": "It was a week that saw a presidential campaign end, the Summer Olympics begin and the start of banking and payments earnings season. We were focused on our usual insightful interviews and comprehensive news coverage and with that in mind we present some of the notable quotes from interviews we conducted with key executives and industry innovators for the week ending July 26.
\nWe started the week with an innovative twist on car financing. In \u201cCarPutty Shifts Gears on How Consumers Finance Their Cars,\u201d CEO Joshua Tatum told us that CarPutty\u2019s own V3 tool (it stands for valuations past, present and future) uses artificial intelligence (AI) to give car owners greater insight into the value of their vehicles. By analyzing tens of thousands of data points per vehicle identification number (VIN), V3 provides real-time and predictive valuations. Consumers can track their car\u2019s current worth, historical value, and projected future value, transforming how they view their vehicles. \u201cIt makes the consumer look at cars as assets versus depreciating assets,\u201d Tatum said. \u201cWhen the tires wear out, people can now make an informed decision on when to offload their car.\u201d
\nTop of mind for this week were the interviews we did with industry influencers about the first anniversary of the FedNow platform. In \u201cFirst the Launch, Then the Execution: FedNow Turns One,\u201d Eric Foust, vice president of banking partnerships for North America at open banking and pay-by-bank provider\u00a0Trustly, told PYMNTS that one year into its lifecycle, FedNow has garnered a lot of attention, but the follow-through and embrace of instant payments will require significant education, especially for consumers. \u201cThere is still a lot the industry can do to help educate the consumers,\u201d he said, adding, \u201cThere\u2019s going to be a maturation process where the knowledge that\u2019s obtained on the business side, so individuals who are dealing with these payments on a day-to-day basis\u201d impart their knowledge \u201cto individuals who are way outside of the payment world and don\u2019t touch the payments on a day-to-day basis.\u201d
\nFoust was joined in the FedNow camp by i2c Global Head of Product Seth Perlman. In \u201cFedNow\u2019s First Year: Path to Critical Mass Requires Time and Education,\u201d beyond the benefits of speed, Perlman said there\u2019s value to glean from the data accompanying the payments, standardized through ISO 20022. \u201cWhen you talk about attaching robust payment invoice and other potentially trade finance data to a transaction, that\u2019s what really unlocks real-time payments as a valuable network for business-to-business transactions and, more complicated types of payments,\u201d he said.
\nThere were several earnings calls this week, among them Alphabet, which checked in with record quarterly results, but spent most of the time on its call discussing its usage of and plans for AI. In \u201cAlphabet Touts Organic AI Development in Q2 Earnings Beat,\u201d Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai told the audience: \u201cOur research and infrastructure leadership means we can pursue an\u00a0in-house\u00a0strategy that enables our product teams to move quickly. Combined with our\u00a0model-building\u00a0expertise, we are in a strong position to control our destiny as the technology continues to evolve. Importantly, we\u00a0are innovating\u00a0at every layer of\u00a0AI\u00a0stack, from chips to agents and beyond. A huge strength. We are committed to this leadership\u00a0long\u00a0term.\u201d
\nAnd as we do every week, we covered the cybersecurity beat, this time coming off a weekend that saw a major IT outage at the hands of Crowdstrike. It was one of the topics we discussed with Prove CEO Rodger Desai. In \u201cBot? Fraudster? New Technology Finds Legit Users Without Compromising User Experience,\u201d he talked about the use of\u00a0AI agents to assist consumers in financial tasks, such as consolidating debt or refinancing a mortgage.
\n\u201cMany businesses will offer AI agents to consumers to make their lives easier and to save money \u2026 but with that comes the challenge of, \u2018Can you trust this agent to go and do things on your behalf?\u2019 and \u2018Can the bank trust that the AI agent is representing you?\u2019\u201d Desai said. \u201cIdentity is going to be a crucial ingredient to enabling this.\u201d
\nNot that it was all business. There was after all, chocolate. In \u201cShop Talk: High-End Consumers Swap Fancy Threads for Fancy Sweets,\u201d we found out that as consumers cut back on many premium products in the face of ongoing economic challenges, luxury chocolate brand\u00a0MarieBelle New York\u00a0is benefitting from shoppers\u2019 desire to enjoy high-end experiences without breaking the bank. Maribel Lieberman, the brand\u2019s founder, said shoppers seeking luxury experiences, either for themselves or to gift, are turning to these elevated chocolates to satisfy that need without shelling out thousands of dollars. \u201cThrough these economic challenges, chocolate is still something that people buy, because first of all, it\u2019s something satisfying that can make them happy. Second, it\u2019s a gift that\u2019s beautifully presented, it\u2019s delicious, and compared to, say, a handbag that costs a few thousand dollars, [it\u2019s affordable],\u201d Lieberman said. \u201cSo, for me, it really doesn\u2019t make a difference when we have economic challenges like we\u2019re going through right now.\u201d
\nThe post They Said That: Notable Quotables From the Week of July 22 appeared first on PYMNTS.com.
\n", "content_text": "It was a week that saw a presidential campaign end, the Summer Olympics begin and the start of banking and payments earnings season. We were focused on our usual insightful interviews and comprehensive news coverage and with that in mind we present some of the notable quotes from interviews we conducted with key executives and industry innovators for the week ending July 26.\nWe started the week with an innovative twist on car financing. In \u201cCarPutty Shifts Gears on How Consumers Finance Their Cars,\u201d CEO Joshua Tatum told us that CarPutty\u2019s own V3 tool (it stands for valuations past, present and future) uses artificial intelligence (AI) to give car owners greater insight into the value of their vehicles. By analyzing tens of thousands of data points per vehicle identification number (VIN), V3 provides real-time and predictive valuations. Consumers can track their car\u2019s current worth, historical value, and projected future value, transforming how they view their vehicles. \u201cIt makes the consumer look at cars as assets versus depreciating assets,\u201d Tatum said. \u201cWhen the tires wear out, people can now make an informed decision on when to offload their car.\u201d\nTop of mind for this week were the interviews we did with industry influencers about the first anniversary of the FedNow platform. In \u201cFirst the Launch, Then the Execution: FedNow Turns One,\u201d Eric Foust, vice president of banking partnerships for North America at open banking and pay-by-bank provider\u00a0Trustly, told PYMNTS that one year into its lifecycle, FedNow has garnered a lot of attention, but the follow-through and embrace of instant payments will require significant education, especially for consumers. \u201cThere is still a lot the industry can do to help educate the consumers,\u201d he said, adding, \u201cThere\u2019s going to be a maturation process where the knowledge that\u2019s obtained on the business side, so individuals who are dealing with these payments on a day-to-day basis\u201d impart their knowledge \u201cto individuals who are way outside of the payment world and don\u2019t touch the payments on a day-to-day basis.\u201d\nFoust was joined in the FedNow camp by i2c Global Head of Product Seth Perlman. In \u201cFedNow\u2019s First Year: Path to Critical Mass Requires Time and Education,\u201d beyond the benefits of speed, Perlman said there\u2019s value to glean from the data accompanying the payments, standardized through ISO 20022. \u201cWhen you talk about attaching robust payment invoice and other potentially trade finance data to a transaction, that\u2019s what really unlocks real-time payments as a valuable network for business-to-business transactions and, more complicated types of payments,\u201d he said.\nThere were several earnings calls this week, among them Alphabet, which checked in with record quarterly results, but spent most of the time on its call discussing its usage of and plans for AI. In \u201cAlphabet Touts Organic AI Development in Q2 Earnings Beat,\u201d Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai told the audience: \u201cOur research and infrastructure leadership means we can pursue an\u00a0in-house\u00a0strategy that enables our product teams to move quickly. Combined with our\u00a0model-building\u00a0expertise, we are in a strong position to control our destiny as the technology continues to evolve. Importantly, we\u00a0are innovating\u00a0at every layer of\u00a0AI\u00a0stack, from chips to agents and beyond. A huge strength. We are committed to this leadership\u00a0long\u00a0term.\u201d\nAnd as we do every week, we covered the cybersecurity beat, this time coming off a weekend that saw a major IT outage at the hands of Crowdstrike. It was one of the topics we discussed with Prove CEO Rodger Desai. In \u201cBot? Fraudster? New Technology Finds Legit Users Without Compromising User Experience,\u201d he talked about the use of\u00a0AI agents to assist consumers in financial tasks, such as consolidating debt or refinancing a mortgage.\n\u201cMany businesses will offer AI agents to consumers to make their lives easier and to save money \u2026 but with that comes the challenge of, \u2018Can you trust this agent to go and do things on your behalf?\u2019 and \u2018Can the bank trust that the AI agent is representing you?\u2019\u201d Desai said. \u201cIdentity is going to be a crucial ingredient to enabling this.\u201d\nNot that it was all business. There was after all, chocolate. In \u201cShop Talk: High-End Consumers Swap Fancy Threads for Fancy Sweets,\u201d we found out that as consumers cut back on many premium products in the face of ongoing economic challenges, luxury chocolate brand\u00a0MarieBelle New York\u00a0is benefitting from shoppers\u2019 desire to enjoy high-end experiences without breaking the bank. Maribel Lieberman, the brand\u2019s founder, said shoppers seeking luxury experiences, either for themselves or to gift, are turning to these elevated chocolates to satisfy that need without shelling out thousands of dollars. \u201cThrough these economic challenges, chocolate is still something that people buy, because first of all, it\u2019s something satisfying that can make them happy. Second, it\u2019s a gift that\u2019s beautifully presented, it\u2019s delicious, and compared to, say, a handbag that costs a few thousand dollars, [it\u2019s affordable],\u201d Lieberman said. \u201cSo, for me, it really doesn\u2019t make a difference when we have economic challenges like we\u2019re going through right now.\u201d\nThe post They Said That: Notable Quotables From the Week of July 22 appeared first on PYMNTS.com.", "date_published": "2024-07-26T15:44:03-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-07-26T15:44:03-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Said-That-Week.png", "tags": [ "AI", "Alphabet", "artificial intelligence", "automotive", "Carputty", "CrowdStrike", "Cybersecurity", "Earnings", "FedNow", "i2C", "MarieBelle New York", "News", "Prove", "PYMNTS News", "Technology", "They Said That", "Trustly" ] }, { "id": "https://www.pymnts.com/?p=2014414", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/technology/2024/musk-tesla-will-have-in-house-humanoid-robots-in-2025/", "title": "Musk: Tesla Will Have In-House Humanoid Robots in 2025", "content_html": "Tesla will begin using humanoid robots next year, according to CEO Elon Musk.
\n\u201cTesla will have genuinely useful humanoid robots in low production for Tesla internal use next year and, hopefully, high production for other companies in 2026,\u201d Musk wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday (July 22) morning.
\n\n\n\nTesla will have genuinely useful humanoid robots in low production for Tesla internal use next year and, hopefully, high production for other companies in 2026
\n\u2014 Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 22, 2024
As with many Musk pronouncements that make headlines, this one came in response to a post from another user, who had put up a chart showing former OpenAI researcher Daniel Kokotajlo\u2019s predictions for advances in artificial intelligence (AI).
\nMusk had told investors in April that Tesla\u2019s humanoid robot project, Optimus, \u201cwill be in the factory doing useful tasks by the end of the year. Optimus will be more valuable than anything else Tesla does combined.\u201d
\nDuring that same earnings call, the CEO promised a \u201csentient humanoid robot able to navigate reality and do tasks ad hoc. That\u2019s what is going to happen, and Tesla is best positioned of any robot maker to reach volume reduction with efficient inference on the robot itself.\u201d
\nWeeks earlier, Musk had said the company would debut a robotaxi on August 8, a thing the multibillionaire had been promising since 2019.
\nTesla\u2019s autonomous vehicle efforts have hit roadblocks recently, with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration seeking more information from the company about its autopilot system after crashes continued despite a December recall of more than two million vehicles.
\nAnd the Department of Justice is investigating whether Tesla committed securities or wire fraud by misleading investors and consumers about its electric vehicles\u2019 self-driving capabilities.
\n\u201cBut while the open road presents several challenges for autonomous solutions, the closed-loop ecosystem of warehouses and distribution centers provides a different arena for the innovative technology to operate across,\u201d PYMNTS wrote in May.
\nAs Anna Brunelle, CFO at May Mobility, said here in February, \u201cI believe in our lifetime, not just automobiles, but every piece of moving machinery on the face of the earth will be automated. And the smart infrastructure that oversees it and supports it will also be automated.\u201d
\nThe marketplace is responding to both the need and the opportunity presented by autonomous vehicles, with companies like Figure teaming with BMW to deploy general purpose robots in automotive manufacturing environments.
\nWalmart, meanwhile, has begun quietly transforming its distribution centers by rolling out 19 autonomous electric forklifts across four of its facilities, marking a significant advancement in the use of AI-powered robotics in industrial settings.
\nThe post Musk: Tesla Will Have In-House Humanoid Robots in 2025 appeared first on PYMNTS.com.
\n", "content_text": "Tesla will begin using humanoid robots next year, according to CEO Elon Musk.\n\u201cTesla will have genuinely useful humanoid robots in low production for Tesla internal use next year and, hopefully, high production for other companies in 2026,\u201d Musk wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday (July 22) morning.\n\nTesla will have genuinely useful humanoid robots in low production for Tesla internal use next year and, hopefully, high production for other companies in 2026\n\u2014 Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 22, 2024\n\nAs with many Musk pronouncements that make headlines, this one came in response to a post from another user, who had put up a chart showing former OpenAI researcher Daniel Kokotajlo\u2019s predictions for advances in artificial intelligence (AI).\nMusk had told investors in April that Tesla\u2019s humanoid robot project, Optimus, \u201cwill be in the factory doing useful tasks by the end of the year. Optimus will be more valuable than anything else Tesla does combined.\u201d\nDuring that same earnings call, the CEO promised a \u201csentient humanoid robot able to navigate reality and do tasks ad hoc. That\u2019s what is going to happen, and Tesla is best positioned of any robot maker to reach volume reduction with efficient inference on the robot itself.\u201d\nWeeks earlier, Musk had said the company would debut a robotaxi on August 8, a thing the multibillionaire had been promising since 2019.\nTesla\u2019s autonomous vehicle efforts have hit roadblocks recently, with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration seeking more information from the company about its autopilot system after crashes continued despite a December recall of more than two million vehicles.\nAnd the Department of Justice is investigating whether Tesla committed securities or wire fraud by misleading investors and consumers about its electric vehicles\u2019 self-driving capabilities.\n\u201cBut while the open road presents several challenges for autonomous solutions, the closed-loop ecosystem of warehouses and distribution centers provides a different arena for the innovative technology to operate across,\u201d PYMNTS wrote in May.\nAs Anna Brunelle, CFO at May Mobility, said here in February, \u201cI believe in our lifetime, not just automobiles, but every piece of moving machinery on the face of the earth will be automated. And the smart infrastructure that oversees it and supports it will also be automated.\u201d\nThe marketplace is responding to both the need and the opportunity presented by autonomous vehicles, with companies like Figure teaming with BMW to deploy general purpose robots in automotive manufacturing environments.\nWalmart, meanwhile, has begun quietly transforming its distribution centers by rolling out 19 autonomous electric forklifts across four of its facilities, marking a significant advancement in the use of AI-powered robotics in industrial settings.\nThe post Musk: Tesla Will Have In-House Humanoid Robots in 2025 appeared first on PYMNTS.com.", "date_published": "2024-07-22T12:42:15-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-07-22T14:19:19-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Tesla-robotics-automation.png", "tags": [ "artificial intelligence", "automation", "Autonomous vehicles", "Elon Musk", "humanoid robotics", "News", "PYMNTS News", "Robotaxis", "robotics", "Robots", "Technology", "Tesla", "What's Hot" ] }, { "id": "https://www.pymnts.com/?p=1975627", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/technology/2024/cyborg-shopper-is-it-future-just-blip/", "title": "The Cyborg Shopper: Is It the Future or Just a Blip?", "content_html": "As a fringe group of consumers gets microchips implanted in their hands to make payments without using any external devices, time will prove whether these shoppers are early adopters or simply eccentrics.
\nA TikTok video from last year with more than 10 million views, by a user who fittingly goes by @paybyhand on the platform, appears to show the user completing a payment at a fried chicken restaurant using a chip implanted in his hand, much to the confusion and amusement of the server working behind the counter.
\nPay-by-hand capabilities are becoming available, as an extension of the contactless payment systems already prevalent with credit cards and smartphones, with provider Walletmor asserting the convenience and futuristic appeal of these implants.
\nThe Guinness World Record holder for the greatest number of technological implants in the body is California-based magician Anastasia Synn, who as of November 2023 had 52 implants. Half of these implants are microchips, which Synn says are shallowly implanted for easier removal.
\n\u201cI think the Guinness World Records title for the most removal surgeries in one day would be a good one, but possibly one only I could do,\u201d Synn told Guinness World Records.
\nIt is worth noting that many consumers seek out digital payment methods in stores, even if their methods are usually less centered on biohacking. The PYMNTS Intelligence report \u201cDigital Wallets Beyond Transactions: U.S. Edition\u201d drew from a survey of more than 2,100 United States consumers to understand their perceptions and use of digital wallets in the last year and into the future. The results revealed that 48% of U.S. consumers have paid for items they bought via eCommerce channels using their digital wallets\u2019 stored payment, while 39% have done so in-store.
\nPlus, the study found that a small share of consumers wants frictionless digital options for more than just payments. Specifically, 8.7% of consumers said they have used a digital wallet to store credentials that enable nontransactional uses, such as accessing places, events or services.
\nFor advocates, the appeal is clear. No more fumbling for a wallet or worrying about a lost or stolen credit card. The microchip offers an unprecedented level of ease, especially in a world increasingly leaning toward cashless transactions. Early adopters hail from tech-savvy, urban demographics, eager to embrace what they see as the next logical step in the evolution of personal technology.
\nHowever, for implantable chips to become a mainstream retail solution, challenges must be addressed. Security concerns, potential health risks and consumer privacy issues all require careful consideration.
\nSecurity is a top concern for many shoppers. The PYMNTS Intelligence study \u201c2023 Global Digital Shopping Index: U.S. Edition\u201d found that 40% of U.S. consumers rank this concern as either the most important or \u201cvery or extremely important\u201d while shopping online.
\n\u201cHow much are we willing to pay, for the sake of convenience?\u201d FinTech expert Theodora Lau, co-author of the book \u201cBeyond Good: How Technology Is Leading a Business Driven Revolution,\u201d told the BBC. \u201cWhere do we draw the line when it comes to privacy and security? Who will be protecting the critical infrastructure, and the humans that are part of it?\u201d
\nFor all PYMNTS retail coverage, subscribe to the daily Retail Newsletter.
\nThe post The Cyborg Shopper: Is It the Future or Just a Blip? appeared first on PYMNTS.com.
\n", "content_text": "As a fringe group of consumers gets microchips implanted in their hands to make payments without using any external devices, time will prove whether these shoppers are early adopters or simply eccentrics.\nA TikTok video from last year with more than 10 million views, by a user who fittingly goes by @paybyhand on the platform, appears to show the user completing a payment at a fried chicken restaurant using a chip implanted in his hand, much to the confusion and amusement of the server working behind the counter.\nPay-by-hand capabilities are becoming available, as an extension of the contactless payment systems already prevalent with credit cards and smartphones, with provider Walletmor asserting the convenience and futuristic appeal of these implants.\nThe Guinness World Record holder for the greatest number of technological implants in the body is California-based magician Anastasia Synn, who as of November 2023 had 52 implants. Half of these implants are microchips, which Synn says are shallowly implanted for easier removal.\n\u201cI think the Guinness World Records title for the most removal surgeries in one day would be a good one, but possibly one only I could do,\u201d Synn told Guinness World Records.\nIt is worth noting that many consumers seek out digital payment methods in stores, even if their methods are usually less centered on biohacking. The PYMNTS Intelligence report \u201cDigital Wallets Beyond Transactions: U.S. Edition\u201d drew from a survey of more than 2,100 United States consumers to understand their perceptions and use of digital wallets in the last year and into the future. The results revealed that 48% of U.S. consumers have paid for items they bought via eCommerce channels using their digital wallets\u2019 stored payment, while 39% have done so in-store.\nPlus, the study found that a small share of consumers wants frictionless digital options for more than just payments. Specifically, 8.7% of consumers said they have used a digital wallet to store credentials that enable nontransactional uses, such as accessing places, events or services.\nFor advocates, the appeal is clear. No more fumbling for a wallet or worrying about a lost or stolen credit card. The microchip offers an unprecedented level of ease, especially in a world increasingly leaning toward cashless transactions. Early adopters hail from tech-savvy, urban demographics, eager to embrace what they see as the next logical step in the evolution of personal technology.\nHowever, for implantable chips to become a mainstream retail solution, challenges must be addressed. Security concerns, potential health risks and consumer privacy issues all require careful consideration.\nSecurity is a top concern for many shoppers. The PYMNTS Intelligence study \u201c2023 Global Digital Shopping Index: U.S. Edition\u201d found that 40% of U.S. consumers rank this concern as either the most important or \u201cvery or extremely important\u201d while shopping online.\n\u201cHow much are we willing to pay, for the sake of convenience?\u201d FinTech expert Theodora Lau, co-author of the book \u201cBeyond Good: How Technology Is Leading a Business Driven Revolution,\u201d told the BBC. \u201cWhere do we draw the line when it comes to privacy and security? Who will be protecting the critical infrastructure, and the humans that are part of it?\u201d\nFor all PYMNTS retail coverage, subscribe to the daily Retail Newsletter.\nThe post The Cyborg Shopper: Is It the Future or Just a Blip? appeared first on PYMNTS.com.", "date_published": "2024-07-13T04:00:02-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-07-12T11:26:29-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/technology-microchips-pay-by-hand.jpg", "tags": [ "connected commerce", "Connected Economy", "Contactless", "Digital Payments", "digital transformation", "digital wallets", "Main Feature", "News", "pay by hand", "privacy", "PYMNTS News", "Retail", "Saturday Feature", "Security", "Technology", "Walletmor", "Weekender" ] }, { "id": "https://www.pymnts.com/?p=1974388", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/technology/2024/apple-computer-shipments-jump-20percent-amid-larger-pc-recovery/", "title": "Apple Computer Shipments Jump 20% Amid Higher PC Sales", "content_html": "After seven straight quarters of decline, the PC market is turning around.
\nThat\u2019s according to new research from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker, released Tuesday (July 9), which showed global PC shipments reaching 64.9 million units in the second quarter of 2024, up 3% since last year.
\nThat number would have been higher if not for slower sales in China, IDC said. Setting aside that country, worldwide shipments climbed more than 5% year over year.
\n\u201cMake no mistake, the PC market just like other technology markets faces challenges in the near term due to maturity and headwinds,\u201d Ryan Reith, group vice president with IDC\u2019s Worldwide Device Trackers, said in a news release.
\n\u201cHowever, two consecutive quarters of growth, combined with plenty of market hype around AI PCs and a less sexy but arguably more important commercial refresh cycle, seems to be what the PC market needed. The buzz is clearly around AI, but a lot is happening with non-AI PC purchasing to make this mature market show signs of positivity.\u201d
\nIDC noted that most industry players have recently begun outlining strategies for artificial intelligence (AI) powered-personal computers (PCs), with an emphasis on the component side and the commercial market\u2019s potential.
\n\u201cWhile IDC believes the commercial market has the biggest short-term upside for AI in the PC industry, the consumer story has yet to be told in full,\u201d the release said. \u201cAll eyes are on Apple to drive that message later this year with anticipated product launches, but it shouldn\u2019t be overlooked that Qualcomm, Intel, and AMD are all likely to make noise around both consumer and commercial AI PCs.\u201d
\nAccording to IDC\u2019s data, Lenovo led the world in PC shipments during the quarter, selling 14.7 million machines. Apple came in fourth place with 5.7 million and showed the largest turnaround, with shipments up 20.8% year over year.
\nIDC\u2019s figures follow findings from Morgan Stanley in May, which argued that Microsoft\u2019s new line of AI-ready personal computers could usher in a new wave of PC sales.
\nThe report pointed to a number of factors that could fuel PC sales in the second half of this year and into next: an initial price of $1,000 or more, a commercial PC installed base that is 13% bigger than before the pandemic, and Windows 10\u2019s coming wind-down.
\nAs PYMNTS noted earlier this year, Microsoft\u2019s new \u201cCopilot+ PCs\u201d \u2014 a new iteration of Windows machines designed to handle generative AI processes locally \u2014 show that the company is \u201cbetting that the future of computing will be powered by AI \u2014 and that users will want that intelligence at their fingertips rather than in the cloud.\u201d
\nThe post Apple Computer Shipments Jump 20% Amid Higher PC Sales appeared first on PYMNTS.com.
\n", "content_text": "After seven straight quarters of decline, the PC market is turning around.\nThat\u2019s according to new research from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker, released Tuesday (July 9), which showed global PC shipments reaching 64.9 million units in the second quarter of 2024, up 3% since last year.\nThat number would have been higher if not for slower sales in China, IDC said. Setting aside that country, worldwide shipments climbed more than 5% year over year.\n\u201cMake no mistake, the PC market just like other technology markets faces challenges in the near term due to maturity and headwinds,\u201d Ryan Reith, group vice president with IDC\u2019s Worldwide Device Trackers, said in a news release.\n\u201cHowever, two consecutive quarters of growth, combined with plenty of market hype around AI PCs and a less sexy but arguably more important commercial refresh cycle, seems to be what the PC market needed. The buzz is clearly around AI, but a lot is happening with non-AI PC purchasing to make this mature market show signs of positivity.\u201d\nIDC noted that most industry players have recently begun outlining strategies for artificial intelligence (AI) powered-personal computers (PCs), with an emphasis on the component side and the commercial market\u2019s potential.\n\u201cWhile IDC believes the commercial market has the biggest short-term upside for AI in the PC industry, the consumer story has yet to be told in full,\u201d the release said. \u201cAll eyes are on Apple to drive that message later this year with anticipated product launches, but it shouldn\u2019t be overlooked that Qualcomm, Intel, and AMD are all likely to make noise around both consumer and commercial AI PCs.\u201d\nAccording to IDC\u2019s data, Lenovo led the world in PC shipments during the quarter, selling 14.7 million machines. Apple came in fourth place with 5.7 million and showed the largest turnaround, with shipments up 20.8% year over year.\nIDC\u2019s figures follow findings from Morgan Stanley in May, which argued that Microsoft\u2019s new line of AI-ready personal computers could usher in a new wave of PC sales.\nThe report pointed to a number of factors that could fuel PC sales in the second half of this year and into next: an initial price of $1,000 or more, a commercial PC installed base that is 13% bigger than before the pandemic, and Windows 10\u2019s coming wind-down.\nAs PYMNTS noted earlier this year, Microsoft\u2019s new \u201cCopilot+ PCs\u201d \u2014 a new iteration of Windows machines designed to handle generative AI processes locally \u2014 show that the company is \u201cbetting that the future of computing will be powered by AI \u2014 and that users will want that intelligence at their fingertips rather than in the cloud.\u201d\nThe post Apple Computer Shipments Jump 20% Amid Higher PC Sales appeared first on PYMNTS.com.", "date_published": "2024-07-10T17:18:37-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-07-10T17:18:37-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/PC-sales-Apple-personal-computers.jpg", "tags": [ "AI", "AI PCs", "Apple", "artificial intelligence", "computer sales", "IDC", "International Data Corp.", "laptops", "News", "PCs", "personal computers", "PYMNTS News", "Technology", "What's Hot" ] }, { "id": "https://www.pymnts.com/?p=1974257", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/technology/2024/samsung-unveils-latest-wearables-with-ai-powered-wellness-features/", "title": "Samsung Unveils Latest Wearables With AI-Powered Wellness Features", "content_html": "Samsung unveiled its latest wearables with features powered by artificial intelligence.
\nThe new Galaxy Ring, Galaxy Watch7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra became available for pre-order in select markets Wednesday (July 10) and will be generally available starting July 24, the company said in a Wednesday press release.
\nThe three products include the company\u2019s Galaxy AI, according to the release.
\n\u201cThe intelligence, guidance and insights that are offered with Galaxy Ring, Galaxy Watch7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra will help users turn data into meaningful insights and create a whole new era of expanded intelligent health experiences,\u201d TM Roh, president and head of Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics, said in the release.
\nGalaxy Ring delivers health monitoring, tracking and personalized insights in a package that weighs between 2.3 grams and 3 grams and is designed to be comfortably worn on a finger day and night, according to the release. It uses Galaxy AI to help users understand their sleep patterns, evaluate their physical and mental conditions and develop better habits.
\nGalaxy Watch7 includes a new AI algorithm for sleep analysis, the release said. It also offers personalized workouts, intelligent and preventative health monitoring capabilities, and detection of potential signs of sleep apnea and abnormal heart rates.
\nGalaxy Watch Ultra, the newest addition to Samsung\u2019s smartwatch lineup, builds upon the capabilities of the Galaxy Watch7, adding greater durability and a feature that helps users optimize the intensity of their workouts based on their physical capabilities, per the release.
\n\u201cThese new additions to the wearables portfolio are central to Samsung\u2019s vision for Galaxy AI to enhance digital health, delivering personalized insights and tailored health experiences that enable a more comprehensive understanding of yourself through a holistic approach to everyday wellness,\u201d Samsung said in the release.
\nThere has been a proliferation of wearable innovations aggregating diverse fitness data sources, PYMNTS reported in May. Other players in this field include Google and Oura.
\nAI is also revolutionizing the wellness industry, powering services such as massages, personalized fitness coaching, nutrition planning and mental health support.
\nThe pandemic helped accelerate the momentum of wearables, as the monthly use of the technology by consumers rose from 37% in November 2021 to 42% in October 2022.
\nFor all PYMNTS retail and AI coverage, subscribe to the daily Retail and AI newsletters.
\nThe post Samsung Unveils Latest Wearables With AI-Powered Wellness Features appeared first on PYMNTS.com.
\n", "content_text": "Samsung unveiled its latest wearables with features powered by artificial intelligence.\nThe new Galaxy Ring, Galaxy Watch7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra became available for pre-order in select markets Wednesday (July 10) and will be generally available starting July 24, the company said in a Wednesday press release.\nThe three products include the company\u2019s Galaxy AI, according to the release.\n\u201cThe intelligence, guidance and insights that are offered with Galaxy Ring, Galaxy Watch7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra will help users turn data into meaningful insights and create a whole new era of expanded intelligent health experiences,\u201d TM Roh, president and head of Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics, said in the release.\nGalaxy Ring delivers health monitoring, tracking and personalized insights in a package that weighs between 2.3 grams and 3 grams and is designed to be comfortably worn on a finger day and night, according to the release. It uses Galaxy AI to help users understand their sleep patterns, evaluate their physical and mental conditions and develop better habits.\nGalaxy Watch7 includes a new AI algorithm for sleep analysis, the release said. It also offers personalized workouts, intelligent and preventative health monitoring capabilities, and detection of potential signs of sleep apnea and abnormal heart rates.\nGalaxy Watch Ultra, the newest addition to Samsung\u2019s smartwatch lineup, builds upon the capabilities of the Galaxy Watch7, adding greater durability and a feature that helps users optimize the intensity of their workouts based on their physical capabilities, per the release.\n\u201cThese new additions to the wearables portfolio are central to Samsung\u2019s vision for Galaxy AI to enhance digital health, delivering personalized insights and tailored health experiences that enable a more comprehensive understanding of yourself through a holistic approach to everyday wellness,\u201d Samsung said in the release.\nThere has been a proliferation of wearable innovations aggregating diverse fitness data sources, PYMNTS reported in May. Other players in this field include Google and Oura.\nAI is also revolutionizing the wellness industry, powering services such as massages, personalized fitness coaching, nutrition planning and mental health support.\nThe pandemic helped accelerate the momentum of wearables, as the monthly use of the technology by consumers rose from 37% in November 2021 to 42% in October 2022.\nFor all PYMNTS retail and AI coverage, subscribe to the daily Retail and AI newsletters.\nThe post Samsung Unveils Latest Wearables With AI-Powered Wellness Features appeared first on PYMNTS.com.", "date_published": "2024-07-10T15:14:06-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-07-10T15:14:06-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Samsung-Galaxy-wearables-AI.jpg", "tags": [ "artificial intelligence", "Connected Economy", "fitness", "Galaxy Ring", "Galaxy Watch", "GenAI", "Innovation", "News", "PYMNTS News", "Retail", "Samsung", "Technology", "Wearables", "What's Hot" ] }, { "id": "https://www.pymnts.com/?p=1963542", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/technology/2024/tech-firms-tighten-staff-scrutiny-over-china-spying-concerns/", "title": "Tech Firms Tighten Staff Scrutiny Over China Spying Concerns", "content_html": "Companies in Silicon Valley are reportedly doing more staff vetting over concerns about Chinese espionage.
\nAs the Financial Times (FT) reported Wednesday (June 19), firms such as Google and OpenAI have begun doing tighter screening of employees and potential hires, according to sources working directly with these companies.
\nIt\u2019s a move, the report noted, driven by fears that foreign governments aim to use compromised workers to gain access to intellectual property and corporate data.
\nThe sources told the FT that venture capital companies like Sequoia have also encouraged some companies in its portfolio to do more vetting following warnings that intelligence agencies have set their sights on American tech firms.
\nAlex Karp, CEO of data analytics contractor Palantir, said Chinese spying on U.S. tech companies was \u201ca huge problem,\u201d particularly for companies that make enterprise software, large language models and weapons systems.
\n\u201cWe have smart adversaries,\u201d Karp said. \u201cOur enemies are ancient cultures fighting for their survival, not just now but for the next thousand years.\u201d
\nThe FT also noted that there are concerns about an increase in xenophobia at U.S. tech companies, considering the prevalence of skilled workers of Asian ancestry.
\nH.R. McMaster, former White House national security adviser to the U.S. who has advised tech companies and investment firms on foreign espionage risks since entering the private sector, said the threat from Chinese intelligence agencies was \u201cabsolutely real and they are persistent.\u201d
\n\u201cThe companies I talk to and work with are very much aware of this right now and are doing everything they can to reduce it,\u201d he said.
\nThese efforts come as tensions between China and the U.S. have led the governments of both countries to institute tech crackdowns.
\nFor example, President Joe Biden signed a bill into law in April that bans TikTok unless its China-based owner ByteDance sells the popular social media platform within a year. The ban is under appeal by the company.
\n\u201cCongress is not acting to punish ByteDance, TikTok, or any other individual company,\u201d Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, said in remarks on the Senate floor before voting on the bill. \u201cCongress is acting to prevent foreign adversaries from conducting espionage, surveillance, maligned operations, harming vulnerable Americans, our servicemen and women, and our U.S. government personnel.\u201d
\nChina, meanwhile, has banned iPhone use by government employees and workers at state-owned companies.
\nThis spring, Apple said it pulled WhatsApp, Threads, Telegram and Signal from its App Store in China on the orders of the Cyberspace Administration of China, which cited national security concerns.
\nThe post Tech Firms Tighten Staff Scrutiny Over China Spying Concerns appeared first on PYMNTS.com.
\n", "content_text": "Companies in Silicon Valley are reportedly doing more staff vetting over concerns about Chinese espionage.\nAs the Financial Times (FT) reported Wednesday (June 19), firms such as Google and OpenAI have begun doing tighter screening of employees and potential hires, according to sources working directly with these companies.\nIt\u2019s a move, the report noted, driven by fears that foreign governments aim to use compromised workers to gain access to intellectual property and corporate data.\nThe sources told the FT that venture capital companies like Sequoia have also encouraged some companies in its portfolio to do more vetting following warnings that intelligence agencies have set their sights on American tech firms.\nAlex Karp, CEO of data analytics contractor Palantir, said Chinese spying on U.S. tech companies was \u201ca huge problem,\u201d particularly for companies that make enterprise software, large language models and weapons systems.\n\u201cWe have smart adversaries,\u201d Karp said. \u201cOur enemies are ancient cultures fighting for their survival, not just now but for the next thousand years.\u201d\nThe FT also noted that there are concerns about an increase in xenophobia at U.S. tech companies, considering the prevalence of skilled workers of Asian ancestry.\nH.R. McMaster, former White House national security adviser to the U.S. who has advised tech companies and investment firms on foreign espionage risks since entering the private sector, said the threat from Chinese intelligence agencies was \u201cabsolutely real and they are persistent.\u201d\n\u201cThe companies I talk to and work with are very much aware of this right now and are doing everything they can to reduce it,\u201d he said.\nThese efforts come as tensions between China and the U.S. have led the governments of both countries to institute tech crackdowns.\nFor example, President Joe Biden signed a bill into law in April that bans TikTok unless its China-based owner ByteDance sells the popular social media platform within a year. The ban is under appeal by the company.\n\u201cCongress is not acting to punish ByteDance, TikTok, or any other individual company,\u201d Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, said in remarks on the Senate floor before voting on the bill. \u201cCongress is acting to prevent foreign adversaries from conducting espionage, surveillance, maligned operations, harming vulnerable Americans, our servicemen and women, and our U.S. government personnel.\u201d\nChina, meanwhile, has banned iPhone use by government employees and workers at state-owned companies.\nThis spring, Apple said it pulled WhatsApp, Threads, Telegram and Signal from its App Store in China on the orders of the Cyberspace Administration of China, which cited national security concerns.\nThe post Tech Firms Tighten Staff Scrutiny Over China Spying Concerns appeared first on PYMNTS.com.", "date_published": "2024-06-19T12:24:53-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-06-19T12:24:53-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/China-US-technology.jpg", "tags": [ "china", "Espionage", "Google", "international", "News", "OpenAI", "palantir", "PYMNTS News", "Silicon Valley", "tech companies", "U.S.-China relations", "What's Hot", "Technology" ] }, { "id": "https://www.pymnts.com/?p=1960529", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/technology/2024/stellantis-continues-global-rollout-of-connected-car-features/", "title": "Stellantis Continues Global Rollout of Connected Car Features", "content_html": "Stellantis is rolling out several software products and connected features for its vehicles around the world.
\nThe automaker, whose 14 brands include Chrysler, Fiat and Peugeot, aims to enhance the mobility experience of its customers and boost its revenue from software and connected services, Stellantis said in a Thursday (June 13) press release.
\n\u201cIn a little more than two years we have made a decisive shift from a traditional auto industry mindset to operating much more like a startup company, including a sharp focus on speed and building up our own software creation capabilities,\u201d Yves Bonnefont, chief software officer at Stellantis, said in the release.
\nOne of the automaker\u2019s latest offerings is a ChatGPT-enhanced virtual assistant that can converse with customers in natural language, according to the release. After a pilot in October 2023, this will be rolled out across 20 European countries by the end of 2024.
\nAnother recently introduced product is AppMarket, an in-vehicle hub for services and experiences that allows drivers to purchase subscriptions in the vehicle, the release said. AppMarket is available in North America, and a similar service is offered in Europe
\nA third new offering, e-Routes, is a mobile app that uses real-time vehicle data to enable the routing of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and to plan stops for charging, per the release. E-Routes is available in Europe and will expand globally this year.
\nOther connected features available from Stellantis include Free2move Connect Fleet and MyTasks, which empower commercial vehicle users with live data about vehicle health, vehicle location and other work vehicle-oriented tasks, according to the release.
\nStellantis currently has a monetizable connected car parc of 13.8 million vehicles around the world, per the release. In 2023, the automaker delivered 94 million over-the-air (OTA) updates and saw its number of users of subscription-based products top 5 million.
\n\u201cStellantis is developing connected services and software-enabled features for retail and fleet customers under the philosophy of \u2018Make my drive safer, make my life easier, and make my drive more exciting,\u2019\u201d the automaker said in the release.
\nThe global automotive software market is expected to have a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15% through the end of the decade, according to \u201cReshaping Global Business With Connected Vehicles,\u201d a PYMNTS Intelligence and American Express collaboration.
\nThe post Stellantis Continues Global Rollout of Connected Car Features appeared first on PYMNTS.com.
\n", "content_text": "Stellantis is rolling out several software products and connected features for its vehicles around the world.\nThe automaker, whose 14 brands include Chrysler, Fiat and Peugeot, aims to enhance the mobility experience of its customers and boost its revenue from software and connected services, Stellantis said in a Thursday (June 13) press release.\n\u201cIn a little more than two years we have made a decisive shift from a traditional auto industry mindset to operating much more like a startup company, including a sharp focus on speed and building up our own software creation capabilities,\u201d Yves Bonnefont, chief software officer at Stellantis, said in the release.\nOne of the automaker\u2019s latest offerings is a ChatGPT-enhanced virtual assistant that can converse with customers in natural language, according to the release. After a pilot in October 2023, this will be rolled out across 20 European countries by the end of 2024.\nAnother recently introduced product is AppMarket, an in-vehicle hub for services and experiences that allows drivers to purchase subscriptions in the vehicle, the release said. AppMarket is available in North America, and a similar service is offered in Europe\nA third new offering, e-Routes, is a mobile app that uses real-time vehicle data to enable the routing of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and to plan stops for charging, per the release. E-Routes is available in Europe and will expand globally this year.\nOther connected features available from Stellantis include Free2move Connect Fleet and MyTasks, which empower commercial vehicle users with live data about vehicle health, vehicle location and other work vehicle-oriented tasks, according to the release.\nStellantis currently has a monetizable connected car parc of 13.8 million vehicles around the world, per the release. In 2023, the automaker delivered 94 million over-the-air (OTA) updates and saw its number of users of subscription-based products top 5 million.\n\u201cStellantis is developing connected services and software-enabled features for retail and fleet customers under the philosophy of \u2018Make my drive safer, make my life easier, and make my drive more exciting,\u2019\u201d the automaker said in the release.\nThe global automotive software market is expected to have a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15% through the end of the decade, according to \u201cReshaping Global Business With Connected Vehicles,\u201d a PYMNTS Intelligence and American Express collaboration.\nThe post Stellantis Continues Global Rollout of Connected Car Features appeared first on PYMNTS.com.", "date_published": "2024-06-13T17:06:39-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-06-13T17:06:39-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Stellantis-connected-car.png", "tags": [ "AppMarket", "automakers", "automotive", "B2B", "B2B Payments", "ChatGPT", "connected cars", "electric vehicles", "EVs", "News", "PYMNTS News", "software", "Stellantis", "What's Hot", "What's Hot In B2B", "Technology" ] } ] }