Новости за 28.06.2024

The 2014 collapse of Mt. Gox served as one of the first, big crypto scandals. Over 100,000 creditors of the digital asset exchange lost over $9.4 billion worth of bitcoin — and now, nearly 10 years later, the exchange announced that it is (finally) set to start repaying its creditors in bitcoin (BTC) and bitcoin […]

Six Flags, an operator of theme parks and water parks, has launched a metaverse experience on Roblox that includes a rewards program. The Six Flags Metaverse on Roblox offers virtual roller coasters, mazes and games, the company said in a Friday (June 28) press release. “Our goal is to create immersive experiences that allow our guests to […]

Uber and Lyft agreed to a settlement with the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General, resolving the office’s multiyear litigation against the ridesharing companies. The settlement includes rules on wages, benefits and protections for drivers, the office said in a Thursday (June 27) press release. It also ends a ballot initiative concerning state employment law […]

As consumers increasingly transact using voice-controlled devices, Amazon is partnering with Alicia Keys, harnessing her celebrity to boost Alexa adoption. The musical artist’s beauty brand, Keys Soulcare, created in collaboration with e.l.f.  Beauty, announced Wednesday (June 26) that it is working with Amazon Alexa on an offering for Echo Device users. When they enable the […]

The European Commission is taking a closer look at the ties between Microsoft and OpenAI. The regulator is sending a follow-up request for information “to understand whether certain exclusivity clauses could have a negative effect on competitors,” European Commission Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager said Friday (June 28) in a speech at the regulator’s workshop […]

A newly discovered security vulnerability in artificial intelligence (AI) systems could pose significant risks to eCommerce platforms, financial services and customer support operations across industries. Microsoft has unveiled details of a technique called “Skeleton Key,” which can bypass ethical safeguards built into AI models businesses use worldwide. “Skeleton Key works by using a multi-turn (or […]

Philippine lawmakers reportedly approved a bill that would tax foreign digital services, including streaming services like Netflix, HBO and Disney+. Having passed both the Senate and the House of Representatives, the bill will become law if signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Bloomberg reported Friday (June 28). The bill would impose a 12% value-added tax […]

In Silicon Valley, a new kind of proofreader is hard at work. It doesn’t wield a red pen or squint at comma splices. Instead, this digital detective, born from the same artificial intelligence it’s tasked to police, scans lines of code with inhuman speed, hunting for bugs that even the sharpest human eyes might miss. […]

Toys R Us has unveiled what it claims is the first-ever brand film using OpenAI’s new text-to-video tool, Sora. However, creatives are criticizing the move, saying it could be a sign that artificial intelligence (AI) is encroaching on their territory. The short film, “The Origin of Toys R Us,” uses AI-generated video clips to tell […]

Target will reportedly lower the threshold at which store staff can attempt to stop nonviolent theft. In a new guideline expected to be implemented this summer, the retailer has dropped that threshold to $50 from the previous $100, Bloomberg reported Friday (June 28), citing unnamed sources. Asked about the change by Bloomberg, a Target spokesman […]

Dating events have reportedly become increasingly popular among young people as they seek alternative ways to meet people in a world once dominated by dating apps. Attendance at dating and singles events targeted at millennials and Gen Z has increased by 49% this year compared to last year, Bloomberg reported Friday (June 28), citing data from Eventbrite. The […]

With consumers unwilling to trust eCommerce channels to complete their car-buying journeys, the online auto sales industry is seeing shifts. For instance, Bloomberg reported this week that private equity firm Thoma Bravo is looking into selling Canadian digital automotive marketplace Trader, which it acquired in 2016. The company’s valuation could be $2.9 billion or more […]

Tax rules for businesses around their software costs haven’t changed in nearly half a century. But over the past few decades, nearly everything we know about software — as well as the ways businesses use it to unlock new growth and efficiencies — has changed. That’s why, last week (June 21), the Financial Accounting Standards […]

The consumer showed up with caution in May, but a low inflation rate added some fuel to the arguments for an interest rate cut. Those were the mixed messages sent from the Bureau of Economic Analysis report released Friday (June 28) on personal income and outlays. According to the report, personal income rose by 0.5%, […]

Apple’s iPhone sales in China reportedly rebounded after falling earlier this year. Shipments of foreign-branded phones in the country reached 5.028 million in May, up from 3.603 million a year earlier, Reuters reported Friday (June 28), citing data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology. Because Apple is the dominant foreign brand in […]

This week in the ongoing battle between retail giants Amazon and Walmart, the two companies are upping their discounting efforts in an effort to secure the loyalty of cost-conscious consumers. Amazon, for its part, is reportedly taking a tip from such eCommerce giants as Temu and Shein, gearing up to add a section featuring low-cost […]

As consumers increasingly look to their financial institutions for insurance products, banks have an opportunity to meet this growing demand. A recent report from PYMNTS Intelligence and Franklin Madison shows that 44% of all consumers would turn to their financial institutions (FIs) for insurance needs, a trend that has been growing over the past few […]

Traditional rules-based systems for detecting payments fraud are increasingly inadequate due to the complex schemes devised by fraudsters. This leads to high false positives and limited adaptability. Predictive artificial intelligence (AI) improves on this by reducing false positives and adapting to new schemes using machine learning. However, generative AI, employing unsupervised or semi-supervised learning techniques, […]

With consumers increasingly expecting to be able to get anything they want, when they want it, bridal retail is picking up the pace, according to Kleinfeld Bridal, the wedding retailer from TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress.” In an interview with PYMNTS, Co-owner Ronnie Rothstein and Consulting Chief Marketing Officer Jennifer Shipe described how consumers’ […]

The FinTech IPO Index climbed 2.2% this week as a spate of acquisitions dominated the headlines headed into the end of the second quarter. One of those acquisitions came from InsurTech provider Huize, which saw its stock top the $1 mark after a rocky Q2 in which its share price slipped below $0.57. In an […]

What’s the most precious resource for a small business? Arguably, there are three: capital, customers and time. Artificial intelligence is emerging as a technology that can act as a triple threat, addressing all three of these resources and making a small business look bigger in the process. Andre Machicao, senior vice president at Visa Acceptance […]

Nike continued its shift from direct-to-consumer (D2C) to wholesale channels over the past three months. During the quarter ended May 31, the footwear, apparel and equipment company’s Nike Direct revenues were down 8% on a reported basis, to $5.1 billion, while its wholesale revenues were up 5%, reaching $7.1 billion, according to Thursday (June 27) […]

The Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR), the nonprofit news organization that produces Mother Jones and Reveal, has sued OpenAI and that firm’s largest shareholder, Microsoft. CIR’s lawsuit alleges that the companies committed copyright violations, the nonprofit said in a Thursday (June 27) press release. “OpenAI and Microsoft started vacuuming up our stories to make their […]

KarmaCheck has raised $45 million in a Series B funding round to accelerate the development of its technology-based solution for background checks, credentialing and compliance. The company will also scale its service levels and expand into new industry verticals, KarmaCheck said in a Thursday (June 27) press release. By streamlining background checks and credentialing, the firm […]

Stripe and Coinbase have partnered to expand the global adoption of cryptocurrency and provide faster, cheaper financial infrastructure. This collaboration aims to serve businesses and people around the world, Coinbase said in a Thursday (June 27) blog post. With this partnership, Stripe will add USDC on Base to its crypto payouts product, according to the […]