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Agentic artificial intelligence is coming, whether youre ready for it or not. A PwC survey published earlier this year found that 88% of U.S. companies are beefing up their agentic AI budgets, and a broad majority have adopted AI agents in some capacity. When it comes to using AI agents for shopping or in the commerce space, more than half of consumers say they already are, or will be doing so by the end of the year. But many people still arent quite sure how or when to use AI agents. They may not know where to find them, how to prompt them and, in some cases, if the agent they are interacting with is legit or potentially a disguised bad actor. Fetch, an AI firm founded in 2017 in the U.K., is trying to make the transition to using AI agents for everyday tasks a bit easier and smooth out some of those issues. On Wednesday, the company launched three new products: ASI:One, a new large language model (LLM) interface for interacting with agents; Fetch Business, a portal allowing brands and companies to claim and verify brand agents (similar to a social media-inspired verification system); and Agentverse, a directory and depository of more than 2 million AI agents. Perhaps the most interesting new product, from a laymans perspective, is ASI:One. It’s an interface in which users can interact with AI agents and prompt them to perform certain taskssuch as book a vacation with all flights and hotels, or buy me new shoes, which would prompt specific brand agents for airlines, hotels, and even shoe brands to assist the user. Humayun Sheikh, Fetchs founder and CEO, thinks that the interface will help people learn to utilize AI agents and navigate the agentic AI space in a way similar to how Google helped people learn to navigate the broader internet decades ago. “Google created discoverability and trust for websites. We’re creating the same foundation for agents, Sheik said in a statement provided to Fast Company. There are already more than 1,000 verified brand agents on the platform, including companies such as Costco, Alaska Airlines, Pepsi, and Adidas. That means that users can interact directly with those agentsin a way that they may interact with a human employeeto get information related to prices, product information, and more. The hope, as Sheikh puts it, is that Fetchs platform will help connect consumers directly with brands through agents, and help create a new ecosystem in which AI agents have more utility to the general public in a more personal and pragmatic way. Further, Fetch hopes the personal element of its platform will help get consumers more specific informationdiffering from broader LLM models, such as ChatGPT. Instead of just finding information, your personal AI coordinates with verified brand agents to get things done, Sheikh said. This isn’t searching for options separately and hoping they work together; its orchestration. Your personal AI understands how you make decisions, then works with brand agents that have real inventory, pricing, and booking capabilities. AI agents are quickly moving from an abstract concept to an everyday utility. Fetch is betting that clarity, trust, and verification will be the missing ingredients that help some consumers who have been holding back on adopting the technology to embrace it. If the company succeeds, the way we shop, book, plan, and interact with brands could feel less like surfing the web and more like delegating to a capable assistantone that actually follows through.
Category:
E-Commerce
President Trump nominated Stuart Levenbach as the next director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, choosing a person who has no banking or financial services experience to run a bureau that has been effectively inoperable since Trump was sworn into office. Levenbach is currently an associate director inside the Office of Management and Budget, handling issues related to natural resources, energy, science and water issues. Levenbach’s resume shows significant experience dealing with science and natural resources issues, acting as chief of staff of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration during Trump’s first term. The CFPB has been nonfunctional much of the year. Many of its employees have been ordered not to work, and the only major work the bureau is doing is unwinding the regulations and rules it put into place during President Trump’s first term and during the Biden administration. The bureau’s current acting director is Russell Vought, President Trump’s budget director and Levenbach’s boss. Under the Vacancies Act, Vought can only act as acting director for 210 days, but now that President Trump has nominated someone to the position, that clock has now been suspended until the Senate approves or denies Levenbach’s confirmation as director. The bureau was created after the 2008 financial crisis as part of the Dodd-Frank Act, a law passed to overhaul the financial system and require banks to hold more capital to avoid another financial crisis. The CFPB was created to be a independent advocate for consumers to help them avoid bad actors in the financial system. Ken Sweet, AP business writer
Category:
E-Commerce
Country music fans have something extra to be thankful for each November beyond turkey. Traditionally, the Country Music Association Awardsaka the CMA Awardstake place during the second-to-last month of the year. Wednesday, November 19, is the big day in 2025 for the 59th annual event. Lets get you up to speed on everything you need to know about country musics biggest night so you can confidently two-step your way through the evening. Whats the venue for the 2025 CMA Awards? The 59th CMA Awards will be held at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Whos hosting the 2025 CMA Awards? Lainey Wilson is back to emcee the awards. Last year, she shared the duties with Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning, but this year she is flying solo. Beyond presiding over the event, she is also nominated for multiple awards, including Entertainer of the Year. Whos nominated for a 2025 CMA Award? Joining Wilson in the Entertainer of the Year category are fellow nominees Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, Chris Stapleton, and Morgan Wallen. Although Wilson is the only female in the top category, three women tied for the most nominations in 2025 with six each. Wilson, Megan Moroney, and Ella Langley all share that honor. Langley, Shaboozey, Zach Top, Tucker Wetmore, and Stephen Wilson Jr. are all nominated for New Artist of the Year. You can find a complete list of nominees on the association’s website. Whos performing at the 2025 CMA Awards? Since Lainey Wilson is already in the neighborhood and hosting, shes also going to grace the audience with her vocal talents. Shes not the only one. Kelsea Ballerini will perform her new song I Sit in Parks live for the first time. Meanwhile, Stapleton is scheduled to perform twice. He will sing his cinematic song Bad As I Used to Be from the soundtrack of F1: The Movie and A Song to Sing, a duet with Miranda Lambert. Newly inducted Country Music Hall of Fame member Kenny Chesney will hoot and holler to celebrate the momentous occasion. Old Dominion is performing a medley of their greatest hits. Riley Green, the Red Clay Strays, Brandi Carlile, Patty Loveless, BigXthaPlug, Combs, Langley, Moroney, Shaboozey, Top, Wetmore, and Wilson Jr. are also scheduled to sing their hearts out. Whos being honored at the 2025 CMA Awards? The 2025 Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to the “I Still Believe in You” singer and songwriter Vince Gill. Gill first broke out as the lead singer of the Pure Prairie League. He cemented his legacy in the 1990s as a solo act, and later joined the Eagles in 2017 after the death of Glenn Frey. How can I watch or stream the CMA Awards live? To see Gill and host Wilsons big night on a linear television, tune into ABC at 8 p.m. ET. Traditional cable subscribers can watch it that way, and those with good reception and an over-the-air antenna can see it for free. The telecast will also be concurrently streamed for those with a subscription to Hulu+ Live TV. If that service is not in your streaming arsenal, consider FuboTV or Sling TVjust double-check that the streamer carries ABC in your region before committing to another monthly fee. Also, now that the ABC parent company has settled its carriage dispute with Google, you can watch the CMAs on YouTube TV. Additionally, if you find yourself busy on Wednesday night, never fear. The show will be available to watch the following day on Hulu.
Category:
E-Commerce
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