Google is all set to help you shop too, as its “try on” tool, debuted as an experiment in April, becomes generally available in the U.S. It allows shoppers to upload a selfie and try on the latest fashions without going near a store. Among other innovations, Google is also rolling out price alerts so that you can track when that hat, coat or scarf falls within your budget.
Not content with regular agentic AI, Walmart is placing its bets on four so-called “super agents” designed for shoppers, store employees, suppliers and developers. Sparky, already available to shoppers on the Walmart app, is a genAI tool ready with product recommendations and answers to questions. Associate will give employees a unified channel to interact with the company; Marty will onboard suppliers and manage the order process; Developer will be where future AI tools are built.
Google’s recent earnings report is not only bullish about AI Overviews, which boast two billion monthly users; it also says the new feature has not reduced traditional search. Google CEO Sundar Pichai said AI Overviews, if anything, encourage more searching. This is at loggerheads with a recent report from Pew Research that says users are less likely to click on links when an AI summary appears in the results.
CDP Zeta Global has unveiled Athena, a “superintelligent” voice-activated interface that delivers instant answers, smarter decisions, and agentic actions throughout the Zeta platform. It activates a suite of agentic apps that can adapt to each user’s specific goals and styles. Early access will begin later this year, with a suite of agentic apps to follow in the first half of next year.