![\"graphic,](\"https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/benefits-AI-AP.png\")
OpenAI reportedly expects its revenue to reach $125 billion in 2029 and $174 billion in 2030 as it adds new products.
\nThe company expects its artificial intelligence (AI) agents and other new products to generate more sales than its ChatGTP chatbot by that time, The Information reported Wednesday (April 23), citing information OpenAI shared with potential and current investors.
\nIt is not clear what the new products will be, but executives have considered selling ads or charging affiliate fees with which it would get a cut of sales that begin through ChatGPT or its AI agents, according to the report.
\nOpenAI did not immediately reply to PYMNTS\u2019 request for comment.
\nThe company ended 2024 with revenues of $3.7 billion, which was nearly four times the prior year\u2019s sales, according to the report.
\nOpenAI expects to spend $46 billion in cash over the next four years and turn cash flow positive in 2029, when it expects to generate about $2 billion in cash, the report said.
\nThe company said April 16 that its latest AI models are poised to bring more capable AI agents to business.
\nThe new o3 and o4-mini reasoning models are the \u201csmartest\u201d it has released to date and represent a \u201cstep change\u201d in ChatGPT\u2019s capabilities, according to an OpenAI blog post.
\nThese models represent a big step toward more robust agentic AI systems that can independently execute tasks on behalf of users, the company said.
\nOn April 14, OpenAI Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar said the company is building an AI agent that can do all the work of software engineers, not just augment their skills.
\nFriar added that OpenAI is moving beyond being solely a model builder to becoming a comprehensive AI infrastructure provider and applications developer.
\n\u201cToday, OpenAI is so much more,\u201d Friar said. \u201cWe\u2019re going down into data center technology … and we feel like we\u2019re creating a lot of IP there, and it\u2019s really important for us to own that.\u201d
\nOn April 11, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the generative AI company has reached 800 million people.
\n\u201cSomething like 10% of the world uses our systems, now a lot,\u201d Altman said.
\nThe post Report: OpenAI Expects New Products to Drive Revenue to $125 Billion in 2029 appeared first on PYMNTS.com.
\n", "content_text": "OpenAI reportedly expects its revenue to reach $125 billion in 2029 and $174 billion in 2030 as it adds new products.\nThe company expects its artificial intelligence (AI) agents and other new products to generate more sales than its ChatGTP chatbot by that time, The Information reported Wednesday (April 23), citing information OpenAI shared with potential and current investors.\nIt is not clear what the new products will be, but executives have considered selling ads or charging affiliate fees with which it would get a cut of sales that begin through ChatGPT or its AI agents, according to the report.\nOpenAI did not immediately reply to PYMNTS\u2019 request for comment.\nThe company ended 2024 with revenues of $3.7 billion, which was nearly four times the prior year\u2019s sales, according to the report.\nOpenAI expects to spend $46 billion in cash over the next four years and turn cash flow positive in 2029, when it expects to generate about $2 billion in cash, the report said.\nThe company said April 16 that its latest AI models are poised to bring more capable AI agents to business.\nThe new o3 and o4-mini reasoning models are the \u201csmartest\u201d it has released to date and represent a \u201cstep change\u201d in ChatGPT\u2019s capabilities, according to an OpenAI blog post.\nThese models represent a big step toward more robust agentic AI systems that can independently execute tasks on behalf of users, the company said.\nOn April 14, OpenAI Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar said the company is building an AI agent that can do all the work of software engineers, not just augment their skills.\nFriar added that OpenAI is moving beyond being solely a model builder to becoming a comprehensive AI infrastructure provider and applications developer.\n\u201cToday, OpenAI is so much more,\u201d Friar said. \u201cWe\u2019re going down into data center technology … and we feel like we\u2019re creating a lot of IP there, and it\u2019s really important for us to own that.\u201d\nOn April 11, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the generative AI company has reached 800 million people.\n\u201cSomething like 10% of the world uses our systems, now a lot,\u201d Altman said.\nThe post Report: OpenAI Expects New Products to Drive Revenue to $125 Billion in 2029 appeared first on PYMNTS.com.", "date_published": "2025-04-23T19:31:52-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-04-23T19:31:52-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/679fcf5c2ed5358e99e8e23b22e3b5d761e37bdb76fa7b0e13d8ecd9ff01bf88?s=512&d=blank&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/679fcf5c2ed5358e99e8e23b22e3b5d761e37bdb76fa7b0e13d8ecd9ff01bf88?s=512&d=blank&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/OpenAI-revenue-ChatGPT.jpg", "tags": [ "agentic AI", "AI", "AI agents", "artificial intelligence", "ChatGPT", "GenAI", "generative AI", "News", "OpenAI", "PYMNTS News", "What's Hot", "artificial intelligence" ] }, { "id": "https://www.pymnts.com/?p=2688275", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/artificial-intelligence-2/2025/what-enterprise-cfos-want-from-genai/", "title": "What Enterprise CFOs Want From GenAI", "content_html": "Today\u2019s finance chiefs aren\u2019t looking for artificial intelligence (AI) that dazzles. They want AI that delivers.
\nAnd many are putting their money on that, with the latest PYMNTS Intelligence data from the April 2025 edition of the CAIO Report, a collaboration with Coupa, revealing that over 80% of U.S. chief financial officers (CFOs) at large enterprises are either utilizing AI in their accounts payable (AP) processes or are considering its adoption.
\nSpecifically, the report found that CFOs are demanding tools that can offer real-time visibility into expenditures, sharpen vendor negotiations and guide more strategic budget optimization. With margins tightening and pressure mounting to do more with less, these three capabilities have become non-negotiable for finance teams operating with innovation.
\nAfter all, since its machine learning and data analysis days, enterprise AI has promised to transform how businesses operate by streamlining operations, forecasting with precision and automating decision-making at scale. But for CFOs, the hype has often outpaced reality.
\nWhat many artificial intelligence tools lack isn\u2019t power or potential, but purpose. CFOs need tools that solve core problems and give businesses leverage in real time.
\nIf enterprise AI providers can meet three emerging but critical needs: real-time visibility, empowered vendor negotiation and dynamic budget optimization, they won\u2019t just win deals. They could earn trust, shift paradigms and redefine how modern finance operates.
\nRead the report: Smart Spending: How AI Is Transforming Financial Decision Making
\nLegacy ERP systems weren\u2019t built for speed or clarity, but transparency in financial operations is paramount for CFOs aiming to maintain control over corporate spending.
\n
The PYMNTS Intelligence study data indicates that 68% of CFOs are willing to invest in AI solutions that offer real-time insights into expenditures. Such tools enable finance leaders to monitor spending patterns, identify anomalies and make informed decisions promptly.
\nFor example, some AI platforms are now using machine learning to tag and categorize expenses the moment they occur, even flagging unusual patterns like off-contract purchases or sudden vendor price hikes. These systems don\u2019t just report \u2014 they interpret. That real-time radar is particularly powerful in industries with complex supply chains or decentralized purchasing.
\nThe result is fewer surprises, faster course corrections, and a culture of financial accountability.
\nAt the same time, effective vendor management is a critical component of financial strategy. AI technologies can assist CFOs in negotiating better terms by analyzing historical data, market trends and supplier performance metrics. By leveraging predictive analytics, CFOs can anticipate price fluctuations, assess supplier reliability and determine optimal procurement strategies.
\nThe study highlights that AI tools are instrumental in managing payment terms and optimizing working capital. These capabilities not only improve vendor relationships but also contribute to the overall financial health of the organization.
\nStatic budgets are quickly becoming relics of the past. Today\u2019s CFOs need dynamic, AI-enhanced tools that support agile financial planning \u2014 helping teams adjust spending in response to new data, not last year\u2019s assumptions.
\nThe study reveals that 83% of enterprises using AI for accounts payable apply it to at least one payment execution feature, such as payment scheduling or early-payment discount usage.
\nFurthermore, 74% of enterprises employ AI to support cash flow management, ensuring that funds are allocated efficiently across various departments. By integrating AI into budgeting processes, organizations can respond swiftly to market changes and reallocate resources as needed.
\nAs CFOs grow more tech-savvy \u2014 and more skeptical \u2014 vendors need to evolve.\u00a0That means tighter integration with core systems, better explainability of AI models and a focus on the end user. If a tool adds cognitive load or demands heavy IT support, it\u2019s unlikely to last.
\nUltimately, CFOs aren\u2019t asking AI to reinvent finance. They\u2019re asking it to make finance work better with smarter decisions, faster insights and stronger results.
\nThe post What Enterprise CFOs Want From GenAI appeared first on PYMNTS.com.
\n", "content_text": "Today\u2019s finance chiefs aren\u2019t looking for artificial intelligence (AI) that dazzles. They want AI that delivers.\nAnd many are putting their money on that, with the latest PYMNTS Intelligence data from the April 2025 edition of the CAIO Report, a collaboration with Coupa, revealing that over 80% of U.S. chief financial officers (CFOs) at large enterprises are either utilizing AI in their accounts payable (AP) processes or are considering its adoption.\nSpecifically, the report found that CFOs are demanding tools that can offer real-time visibility into expenditures, sharpen vendor negotiations and guide more strategic budget optimization. With margins tightening and pressure mounting to do more with less, these three capabilities have become non-negotiable for finance teams operating with innovation.\nAfter all, since its machine learning and data analysis days, enterprise AI has promised to transform how businesses operate by streamlining operations, forecasting with precision and automating decision-making at scale. But for CFOs, the hype has often outpaced reality.\nWhat many artificial intelligence tools lack isn\u2019t power or potential, but purpose. CFOs need tools that solve core problems and give businesses leverage in real time.\nIf enterprise AI providers can meet three emerging but critical needs: real-time visibility, empowered vendor negotiation and dynamic budget optimization, they won\u2019t just win deals. They could earn trust, shift paradigms and redefine how modern finance operates.\nRead the report: Smart Spending: How AI Is Transforming Financial Decision Making\nEnterprise AI Essentials for Smart Spending, Smarter Strategy\nLegacy ERP systems weren\u2019t built for speed or clarity, but transparency in financial operations is paramount for CFOs aiming to maintain control over corporate spending.\n\nThe PYMNTS Intelligence study data indicates that 68% of CFOs are willing to invest in AI solutions that offer real-time insights into expenditures. Such tools enable finance leaders to monitor spending patterns, identify anomalies and make informed decisions promptly.\nFor example, some AI platforms are now using machine learning to tag and categorize expenses the moment they occur, even flagging unusual patterns like off-contract purchases or sudden vendor price hikes. These systems don\u2019t just report \u2014 they interpret. That real-time radar is particularly powerful in industries with complex supply chains or decentralized purchasing.\nThe result is fewer surprises, faster course corrections, and a culture of financial accountability.\nAt the same time, effective vendor management is a critical component of financial strategy. AI technologies can assist CFOs in negotiating better terms by analyzing historical data, market trends and supplier performance metrics. By leveraging predictive analytics, CFOs can anticipate price fluctuations, assess supplier reliability and determine optimal procurement strategies.\nThe study highlights that AI tools are instrumental in managing payment terms and optimizing working capital. These capabilities not only improve vendor relationships but also contribute to the overall financial health of the organization.\nWhat It Means for the Enterprise AI Ecosystem\nStatic budgets are quickly becoming relics of the past. Today\u2019s CFOs need dynamic, AI-enhanced tools that support agile financial planning \u2014 helping teams adjust spending in response to new data, not last year\u2019s assumptions.\nThe study reveals that 83% of enterprises using AI for accounts payable apply it to at least one payment execution feature, such as payment scheduling or early-payment discount usage.\nFurthermore, 74% of enterprises employ AI to support cash flow management, ensuring that funds are allocated efficiently across various departments. By integrating AI into budgeting processes, organizations can respond swiftly to market changes and reallocate resources as needed.\nAs CFOs grow more tech-savvy \u2014 and more skeptical \u2014 vendors need to evolve.\u00a0That means tighter integration with core systems, better explainability of AI models and a focus on the end user. If a tool adds cognitive load or demands heavy IT support, it\u2019s unlikely to last.\nUltimately, CFOs aren\u2019t asking AI to reinvent finance. They\u2019re asking it to make finance work better with smarter decisions, faster insights and stronger results.\nThe post What Enterprise CFOs Want From GenAI appeared first on PYMNTS.com.", "date_published": "2025-04-23T04:00:42-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-04-23T21:49:53-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/679fcf5c2ed5358e99e8e23b22e3b5d761e37bdb76fa7b0e13d8ecd9ff01bf88?s=512&d=blank&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/679fcf5c2ed5358e99e8e23b22e3b5d761e37bdb76fa7b0e13d8ecd9ff01bf88?s=512&d=blank&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/b2b-cfo-genAI.jpg", "tags": [ "accounts payable", "AI", "artificial intelligence", "B2B", "B2B Payments", "Business Finance", "CFOs", "Chief Financial Officers", "commercial payments", "Coupa", "expense management", "Featured News", "News", "procurement", "PYMNTS Intelligence", "PYMNTS Intelligence CAIO Report", "PYMNTS News", "Technology", "artificial intelligence" ] }, { "id": "https://www.pymnts.com/?p=2689496", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/artificial-intelligence-2/2025/td-bank-to-open-ai-center-in-new-york-city/", "title": "TD Bank to Open AI Center in New York City", "content_html": "TD Bank Group will open a new office in New York City for its artificial intelligence (AI) research and development center, Layer 6, later this year.
\nWith this new office, Layer 6, which currently operates from its head office in Toronto, will grow to more closely support the bank\u2019s U.S. operations and access an expanded pool of talent, TD Bank Group said in a Tuesday (April 22) press release.
\n\u201cOur U.S. expansion of Layer 6 underscores our commitment to deepening our presence in New York City and investing in the future of innovation,\u201d TD Bank President and CEO Leo Salom said in the release. \u201cThe new Layer 6 office establishes a strong foundation for advancing our GenAI capabilities and bringing critical expertise and delivering in-house.\u201d
\nWhen it opens, the new office will house 20 data scientists, applied machine learning scientists, GenAI implementation specialists and others, according to the release.
\nThe bank\u2019s deployment of AI technology focuses on both personalization for customers and streamlined process execution within the business, the release said.
\nThese efforts are driven by Layer 6, which TD Bank Group acquired in 2018, per the release.
\nLuke Gee, chief analytics and AI officer at TD, said in the release that the expansion of Layer 6 is the next major step in the company\u2019s efforts in banking innovation.
\n\u201cWith recent advances in areas like generative AI, we continue to leverage the potential of this game-changing technology through the work of colleagues across the bank, with Layer 6 continually driving thought leadership and breaking new ground,\u201d Gee said.
\nNearly all banking boards have approved generative AI initiatives, according to the PYMNTS Intelligence and NCR Voyix collaboration, \u201cIs AI the Master Key to Banking\u2019s Next Era?\u201d
\nThe report found that 72% of finance leaders actively use AI in their operations, with its applications ranging from fraud detection (64%) to customer onboarding automation (42%).
\nWhen TD Bank Group acquired Layer 6 in 2018, the bank described the Toronto-based AI company as \u201ca global thought-leader and pioneer in the delivery of responsive, personalized and insight-driven experiences for the financial services industry.\u201d
\nThe post TD Bank to Open AI Center in New York City appeared first on PYMNTS.com.
\n", "content_text": "TD Bank Group will open a new office in New York City for its artificial intelligence (AI) research and development center, Layer 6, later this year.\nWith this new office, Layer 6, which currently operates from its head office in Toronto, will grow to more closely support the bank\u2019s U.S. operations and access an expanded pool of talent, TD Bank Group said in a Tuesday (April 22) press release.\n\u201cOur U.S. expansion of Layer 6 underscores our commitment to deepening our presence in New York City and investing in the future of innovation,\u201d TD Bank President and CEO Leo Salom said in the release. \u201cThe new Layer 6 office establishes a strong foundation for advancing our GenAI capabilities and bringing critical expertise and delivering in-house.\u201d\nWhen it opens, the new office will house 20 data scientists, applied machine learning scientists, GenAI implementation specialists and others, according to the release.\nThe bank\u2019s deployment of AI technology focuses on both personalization for customers and streamlined process execution within the business, the release said.\nThese efforts are driven by Layer 6, which TD Bank Group acquired in 2018, per the release.\nLuke Gee, chief analytics and AI officer at TD, said in the release that the expansion of Layer 6 is the next major step in the company\u2019s efforts in banking innovation.\n\u201cWith recent advances in areas like generative AI, we continue to leverage the potential of this game-changing technology through the work of colleagues across the bank, with Layer 6 continually driving thought leadership and breaking new ground,\u201d Gee said.\nNearly all banking boards have approved generative AI initiatives, according to the PYMNTS Intelligence and NCR Voyix collaboration, \u201cIs AI the Master Key to Banking\u2019s Next Era?\u201d\nThe report found that 72% of finance leaders actively use AI in their operations, with its applications ranging from fraud detection (64%) to customer onboarding automation (42%).\nWhen TD Bank Group acquired Layer 6 in 2018, the bank described the Toronto-based AI company as \u201ca global thought-leader and pioneer in the delivery of responsive, personalized and insight-driven experiences for the financial services industry.\u201d\nThe post TD Bank to Open AI Center in New York City appeared first on PYMNTS.com.", "date_published": "2025-04-22T19:29:45-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-04-22T19:31:08-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/679fcf5c2ed5358e99e8e23b22e3b5d761e37bdb76fa7b0e13d8ecd9ff01bf88?s=512&d=blank&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/679fcf5c2ed5358e99e8e23b22e3b5d761e37bdb76fa7b0e13d8ecd9ff01bf88?s=512&d=blank&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/TD-Bank-AI-Layer-6.jpg", "tags": [ "AI", "artificial intelligence", "banking", "Layer 6", "Leo Salom", "News", "PYMNTS News", "td bank", "What's Hot", "artificial intelligence" ] }, { "id": "https://www.pymnts.com/?p=2689259", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/artificial-intelligence-2/2025/forever-online-generative-ghosts-live-in-the-ai-afterlife/", "title": "Forever Online: \u2018Generative Ghosts\u2019 Live in the AI Afterlife", "content_html": "In the not-too-distant future, saying goodbye to a loved one may no longer mean a final farewell.
\nSeveral companies are offering services today to create artificial intelligence (AI) digital twins of deceased loved ones. Think of Superman conversing with the 3D twin of his Kryptonian father Jor-El in the Fortress of Solitude, who continued to give sage advice to his son well after he perished.
\nOrganizations offering AI afterlife services include Re;memory from DeepBrain AI, HereAfter, Character.ai, StoryFile, Project December\u00a0and even MIT\u2019s Augmented Eternity.
\nBut in a research paper by Google DeepMind and University of Colorado researchers, they put forward a more advanced version: \u201cGenerative ghosts.\u201d
\nGenerative ghosts go further than being AI digital twins that think, sound and look like the dead; they can also generate new conversations based on new life events or current news, according to the researchers.
\nMoreover, they will have AI agent capabilities so they can act as you.
\nFor example, they could continue to work after death \u2014\u00a0potentially removing the need for life insurance since they will keep on supporting dependents in the afterlife.
\nThis is coming, the researchers predicted.
\n\u201cWe anticipate that within our lifetimes it may become common practice for people to create custom AI agents to interact with loved ones and/or the broader world after death,\u201d the researchers wrote.
\nThese generative ghosts are capable of learning, evolving and acting independently in ways that could fundamentally reshape how we grieve, remember and interact with the dead.
\nPeople can even create their own generative ghosts as part of their end-of-life planning process, the researchers said.
\nBut consumers are mixed about whether there should be AI afterlives.
\nAccording to a 2024 survey by cybersecurity firm Kaspersky, 38% said it was not acceptable to create a digital identity of the deceased, while 35% said the opposite.
\nHowever, most were certain that these digital twins would reopen grief: 67% said seeing images or stories about people who have died would be upsetting to those close to them.
\nRead more: How the World Does Digital: A Global Benchmark of Consumer Digital Transformation
\nThe idea is not science fiction \u2014 nor is it far-fetched.
\nCompanies offering a more basic form of digital immortality are already around, and their\u00a0services are becoming more popular, especially in Asia where communicating with dead ancestors is part of the culture.
\nFor example, in South Korea, a video of an emotional mother conversing with a virtual reality recreation of her deceased young daughter drew 36 million views as of this writing.
\n![\"\"](\"https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/AI-afterlife.jpg\")
Startups like HereAfter and Re;memory already let clients record life stories that can later be animated through AI to converse with family after death.
\nIn 2021, Microsoft was granted a patent for a system that would create a chatbot modeled after a person, using their images, social media posts, messages, voice and written content. The chatbot would be trained on this data. But Microsoft\u2019s former general manager of AI programs Tim O\u2019Brien, said in a post on X there were no plans to develop it.
\nThese generative ghosts don\u2019t have to be human; they could be pets too.
\nLooking ahead, researchers said generative ghosts could inhabit robots\u00a0so grieving family and friends can physically touch and hold the deceased.
\nBeyond the social and psychological impact, these AI doppelgangers open the door to legal implications, especially for estate planning.\u00a0
\nGenerative ghosts could potentially serve as a new interface for executing living wills, managing digital assets or clarifying posthumous wishes.\u00a0
\nIn the future, a generative ghost might be used to weigh in on a contested will and other property and inheritance matters, especially when written documents leave room for doubt.
\nBut this begs the question: Will the generative ghost have the same rights as its human? Are they considered the same being, albeit one is in digital form? Or is the generative ghost a mere representation, with more limited rights?
\nAs a result, we may soon see AI clauses become standard in estate planning documents, much like health care proxies or advance directives are today.
\nSee also: Digital Has Become a Way of Daily Life for 622M Consumers in 11 Global Markets
\nPeople might want to create a generative ghost of themselves as a form of digital legacy \u2014 a way to share experiences with future generations, guiding descendants through life events, or simply being remembered in an interactive way. Families may seek it for their loved ones \u2014 for comfort, closure or help with practical matters like estate administration.
\n\u201cOur goal is to get rid of the pain of grief,\u201d said Justin Harrison, founder of You, Only Virtual, a company that creates virtual versions of the deceased, in a documentary for German public broadcaster DW that aired this month.
\nThe researchers said generative ghosts hold value for society. They may preserve endangered languages, document lived experiences of historical events or allow students to \u2018interact\u2019 with historical figures for education.
\nBut there are major pitfalls too, the researchers warned.
\nThey could affect the mental health of those left behind through delayed grief, or even confusing a simulation with reality.
\nSecurity risks include identity theft, ransomware attacks on digital ghosts and even malicious use by the ghost\u2019s creator \u2014 just like cybercriminals use malware to infect software.
\nThere are also risks to one\u2019s reputation. What if the ghost hallucinates false memories or reveals secrets the deceased never intended to share? And who controls such representations?
\nAs these AI ghosts become more capable, society must grapple with economic, ethical and spiritual implications.
\n\u201cWidespread economic activity by generative ghosts might impact wages and employment opportunities for the living,\u201d the paper said.
\nAlso, should religious institutions embrace or reject these digital afterlives? Might new spiritual movements arise to worship them?
\n\u201cThe emergence of \u2018AI afterlives\u2019 may reshape society in complex ways beyond our current imagining,\u201d the researchers wrote.
\nThe post Forever Online: \u2018Generative Ghosts\u2019 Live in the AI Afterlife appeared first on PYMNTS.com.
\n", "content_text": "In the not-too-distant future, saying goodbye to a loved one may no longer mean a final farewell.\nSeveral companies are offering services today to create artificial intelligence (AI) digital twins of deceased loved ones. Think of Superman conversing with the 3D twin of his Kryptonian father Jor-El in the Fortress of Solitude, who continued to give sage advice to his son well after he perished.\nOrganizations offering AI afterlife services include Re;memory from DeepBrain AI, HereAfter, Character.ai, StoryFile, Project December\u00a0and even MIT\u2019s Augmented Eternity.\nBut in a research paper by Google DeepMind and University of Colorado researchers, they put forward a more advanced version: \u201cGenerative ghosts.\u201d\nGenerative ghosts go further than being AI digital twins that think, sound and look like the dead; they can also generate new conversations based on new life events or current news, according to the researchers.\nGhosts in the Machine\nMoreover, they will have AI agent capabilities so they can act as you. \nFor example, they could continue to work after death \u2014\u00a0potentially removing the need for life insurance since they will keep on supporting dependents in the afterlife.\nThis is coming, the researchers predicted. \n\u201cWe anticipate that within our lifetimes it may become common practice for people to create custom AI agents to interact with loved ones and/or the broader world after death,\u201d the researchers wrote.\nThese generative ghosts are capable of learning, evolving and acting independently in ways that could fundamentally reshape how we grieve, remember and interact with the dead.\nPeople can even create their own generative ghosts as part of their end-of-life planning process, the researchers said.\nBut consumers are mixed about whether there should be AI afterlives.\nAccording to a 2024 survey by cybersecurity firm Kaspersky, 38% said it was not acceptable to create a digital identity of the deceased, while 35% said the opposite.\nHowever, most were certain that these digital twins would reopen grief: 67% said seeing images or stories about people who have died would be upsetting to those close to them.\nRead more: How the World Does Digital: A Global Benchmark of Consumer Digital Transformation\nIt\u2019s Not Sci-Fi; It\u2019s Estate Planning\nThe idea is not science fiction \u2014 nor is it far-fetched. \nCompanies offering a more basic form of digital immortality are already around, and their\u00a0services are becoming more popular, especially in Asia where communicating with dead ancestors is part of the culture. \nFor example, in South Korea, a video of an emotional mother conversing with a virtual reality recreation of her deceased young daughter drew 36 million views as of this writing.\n\nStartups like HereAfter and Re;memory already let clients record life stories that can later be animated through AI to converse with family after death.\nIn 2021, Microsoft was granted a patent for a system that would create a chatbot modeled after a person, using their images, social media posts, messages, voice and written content. The chatbot would be trained on this data. But Microsoft\u2019s former general manager of AI programs Tim O\u2019Brien, said in a post on X there were no plans to develop it.\nThese generative ghosts don\u2019t have to be human; they could be pets too.\nLooking ahead, researchers said generative ghosts could inhabit robots\u00a0so grieving family and friends can physically touch and hold the deceased.\nBeyond the social and psychological impact, these AI doppelgangers open the door to legal implications, especially for estate planning.\u00a0\nGenerative ghosts could potentially serve as a new interface for executing living wills, managing digital assets or clarifying posthumous wishes.\u00a0\nIn the future, a generative ghost might be used to weigh in on a contested will and other property and inheritance matters, especially when written documents leave room for doubt.\nBut this begs the question: Will the generative ghost have the same rights as its human? Are they considered the same being, albeit one is in digital form? Or is the generative ghost a mere representation, with more limited rights?\nAs a result, we may soon see AI clauses become standard in estate planning documents, much like health care proxies or advance directives are today.\nSee also: Digital Has Become a Way of Daily Life for 622M Consumers in 11 Global Markets\nThe Pros and Cons of Generative Ghosts\nPeople might want to create a generative ghost of themselves as a form of digital legacy \u2014 a way to share experiences with future generations, guiding descendants through life events, or simply being remembered in an interactive way. Families may seek it for their loved ones \u2014 for comfort, closure or help with practical matters like estate administration.\n\u201cOur goal is to get rid of the pain of grief,\u201d said Justin Harrison, founder of You, Only Virtual, a company that creates virtual versions of the deceased, in a documentary for German public broadcaster DW that aired this month.\nThe researchers said generative ghosts hold value for society. They may preserve endangered languages, document lived experiences of historical events or allow students to \u2018interact\u2019 with historical figures for education.\nBut there are major pitfalls too, the researchers warned.\nThey could affect the mental health of those left behind through delayed grief, or even confusing a simulation with reality. \nSecurity risks include identity theft, ransomware attacks on digital ghosts and even malicious use by the ghost\u2019s creator \u2014 just like cybercriminals use malware to infect software.\nThere are also risks to one\u2019s reputation. What if the ghost hallucinates false memories or reveals secrets the deceased never intended to share? And who controls such representations? \nAs these AI ghosts become more capable, society must grapple with economic, ethical and spiritual implications. \n\u201cWidespread economic activity by generative ghosts might impact wages and employment opportunities for the living,\u201d the paper said.\nAlso, should religious institutions embrace or reject these digital afterlives? Might new spiritual movements arise to worship them?\n\u201cThe emergence of \u2018AI afterlives\u2019 may reshape society in complex ways beyond our current imagining,\u201d the researchers wrote.\nThe post Forever Online: \u2018Generative Ghosts\u2019 Live in the AI Afterlife appeared first on PYMNTS.com.", "date_published": "2025-04-22T14:10:38-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-04-22T23:30:37-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/679fcf5c2ed5358e99e8e23b22e3b5d761e37bdb76fa7b0e13d8ecd9ff01bf88?s=512&d=blank&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/679fcf5c2ed5358e99e8e23b22e3b5d761e37bdb76fa7b0e13d8ecd9ff01bf88?s=512&d=blank&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/GenAI-digital-twins-afterlife-AI.jpg", "tags": [ "AI", "artificial intelligence", "Augmented Eternity", "Character.AI", "DeepBrain AI", "digital transformation", "digital twins", "Featured News", "GenAI", "generative AI", "HereAfter", "News", "Project December", "PYMNTS News", "Re;memory", "StoryFile", "Technology", "artificial intelligence" ] }, { "id": "https://www.pymnts.com/?p=2688773", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/artificial-intelligence-2/2025/report-new-valuation-push-for-elon-musks-xai/", "title": "Report: New Valuation Push for Elon Musk\u2019s xAI", "content_html": "After spending much of his time and energy this year as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), could Elon Musk be pivoting to refocus on his businesses?
\nSources familiar with an xAI investor call last week told CNBC Monday (April 21) that Musk was on the call and is seeking to establish a \u201cproper valuation\u201d for his artificial intelligence (AI) startup.
\nAlthough Musk, who was a co-founder of AI pioneer OpenAI, did not formally announce a capital funding round for xAI, the sources for the CNBC report think that is coming soon.
\nThe sources also said a $1 billion potential run rate figure was mentioned on the call.
\nCNBC said the investor call took place just months after reports that xAI was seeking to secure up to $6 billion at a $50 billion valuation, with the funding reportedly coming from Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds and backing from global investors. That capital was earmarked for acquiring 100,000 Nvidia chips, CNBC said, a key component in the company\u2019s AI infrastructure.
\nxAI recently merged with the Musk-owned social media platform X in an all-stock deal. PYMNTS reported that he valued xAI at $80 billion and X at $33 billion.
\nFounded in July 2023, xAI launched the chatbot Grok last year to compete with other leading AI chatbots, including Anthropic\u2019s Claude and OpenAI\u2019s ChatGPT. The CNBC report said that at the time, xAI touted that Grok\u2019s real-time internet knowledge enabled it to launch with just two months of training.
\nPYMNTS reported in March that xAI and Nvidia joined a $30 billion AI Infrastructure Partnership \u00a0backed by BlackRock, Microsoft, and Abu Dhabi AI investment group MGX, with the ultimate goal to raise up to $100 billion for AI development. The partnership aims to build the next generation of AI-ready data centers and support the escalating demands of generative AI models.
\nThe CNBC report also noted that Tesla, where Musk is CEO, experienced a 40% decline in shares this year and could raise questions about his management bandwidth.
\nThe post Report: New Valuation Push for Elon Musk\u2019s xAI appeared first on PYMNTS.com.
\n", "content_text": "After spending much of his time and energy this year as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), could Elon Musk be pivoting to refocus on his businesses? \nSources familiar with an xAI investor call last week told CNBC Monday (April 21) that Musk was on the call and is seeking to establish a \u201cproper valuation\u201d for his artificial intelligence (AI) startup.\nAlthough Musk, who was a co-founder of AI pioneer OpenAI, did not formally announce a capital funding round for xAI, the sources for the CNBC report think that is coming soon.\nThe sources also said a $1 billion potential run rate figure was mentioned on the call.\nCNBC said the investor call took place just months after reports that xAI was seeking to secure up to $6 billion at a $50 billion valuation, with the funding reportedly coming from Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds and backing from global investors. That capital was earmarked for acquiring 100,000 Nvidia chips, CNBC said, a key component in the company\u2019s AI infrastructure.\nxAI recently merged with the Musk-owned social media platform X in an all-stock deal. PYMNTS reported that he valued xAI at $80 billion and X at $33 billion.\nFounded in July 2023, xAI launched the chatbot Grok last year to compete with other leading AI chatbots, including Anthropic\u2019s Claude and OpenAI\u2019s ChatGPT. The CNBC report said that at the time, xAI touted that Grok\u2019s real-time internet knowledge enabled it to launch with just two months of training.\nPYMNTS reported in March that xAI and Nvidia joined a $30 billion AI Infrastructure Partnership \u00a0backed by BlackRock, Microsoft, and Abu Dhabi AI investment group MGX, with the ultimate goal to raise up to $100 billion for AI development. The partnership aims to build the next generation of AI-ready data centers and support the escalating demands of generative AI models.\nThe CNBC report also noted that Tesla, where Musk is CEO, experienced a 40% decline in shares this year and could raise questions about his management bandwidth. \nThe post Report: New Valuation Push for Elon Musk\u2019s xAI appeared first on PYMNTS.com.", "date_published": "2025-04-21T17:55:13-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-04-21T17:55:13-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/679fcf5c2ed5358e99e8e23b22e3b5d761e37bdb76fa7b0e13d8ecd9ff01bf88?s=512&d=blank&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/679fcf5c2ed5358e99e8e23b22e3b5d761e37bdb76fa7b0e13d8ecd9ff01bf88?s=512&d=blank&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/xAI-Musk.jpg", "tags": [ "AI", "artificial intelligence", "Elon Musk", "GenAI", "generative AI", "Grok", "News", "NVIDIA", "PYMNTS News", "What's Hot", "xAI", "artificial intelligence" ] }, { "id": "https://www.pymnts.com/?p=2688524", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/artificial-intelligence-2/2025/ai-explained-what-businesses-need-to-know-for-enterprise-ai-adoption/", "title": "AI Explained: What Businesses Need to Know for Enterprise AI Adoption", "content_html": "When most people refer to AI, they are talking about ChatGPT, Midjourney or other generative AI tools they personally use. This is consumer AI.
\nEnterprise AI is different. It is the use of artificial intelligence (AI) at scale within companies to boost productivity, enhance decision-making, empower customer service and level up risk management, cybersecurity and innovation.
\nConsumer AI has no organization-wide goals; enterprise AI does. Unlike consumer AI applications, enterprise AI is designed to solve complex business challenges at scale and integrate with existing corporate systems.
\nAt its core, enterprise AI refers to AI systems deployed within organizational settings to analyze vast amounts of business data, automate routine tasks and provide actionable insights for strategic decision-making.
\n\u201cEnterprise AI includes policies, strategies, infrastructure and technologies for widespread AI use within a large organization\u201d that requires \u201csignificant investment and effort,\u201d according to AWS.
\nExamples of enterprise AI include:
\nThe most effective enterprise AI implementations typically address specific business problems rather than pursuing technology for its own sake.
\nConsumer AI can be free or low-cost: think of the free or $20-a-month versions of ChatGPT, Gemini, Anthropic\u2019s Claude, Perplexity and others. Its capabilities can be enough for the needs of small businesses.
\nEnterprise AI is far more costly, usually charged on a per user, per month basis. This is artificial intelligence tailored for a particular company\u2019s needs and goals.
\nTypically, enterprise AI is deployed by larger companies at scale and integrated into existing systems. It is hyper-focused on security and compliance, such as GPDR and HIPAA regulations.
\nImplementation of enterprise AI is typically done in stages, starting with identifying use cases with the highest impact, building proofs of concept and the deploying it at scale within the company.
\nWhile most companies already have some form of automation in their existing systems, enterprise AI can make them smarter and more intuitive. Think of using a phone tree (press 1 for account information, press 2 for customer service, for example) compared with a conversation with ChatGPT.
\nRead more: How to Manage Risks When Employees Use AI Secretly for Work
\nTo deploy enterprise AI, John Roese, Dell\u2019s chief technology officer and chief AI officer, said in a recent YouTube video that the company first asks itself, \u201cwhat problem are we solving? What impact do we expect?\u201d Then, \u201conce we figure out what we\u2019re trying to do, how are we going to do it?\u201d
\nRoese said companies should start by asking themselves these questions:
\nWhat makes your company special? If improved with AI, what will actually let you win?
\nAt Dell, Roese zeroed in on three strengths: Secure supply chain, enterprise salesforce and global services capabilities.
\nWhat process in each area of your company\u2019s strengths will move the needle if enhanced with AI?
\nTheir enterprise sales people would spend 40% of their time doing research as they prepare to meet clients.
\nWhat tools and technologies will you use to solve the issue?
\nTo help its enterprise salesforce, Dell used AI to speed up the preparation time for sales people before they meet with clients.
\nTo prepare for AI deployment, Roese said companies must do the following:
\nRoese said Dell figured out that it only needed five types of AI capabilities that can be broadly applied to all use cases across the company.
\nThe next question is whether to build or buy the AI tool. A year ago, Dell built them. Today, it doesn\u2019t. \u201cThere are now sufficient off-the-shelf tools that the vast majority of the AI components are inclusive of the models, the developer frameworks, the engines, [and] can actually be consumed as a standardized piece of technology from a provider,\u201d Roese said.
\nFor all PYMNTS AI coverage, subscribe to the daily\u00a0AI\u00a0Newsletter.
\nThe post AI Explained: What Businesses Need to Know for Enterprise AI Adoption appeared first on PYMNTS.com.
\n", "content_text": "When most people refer to AI, they are talking about ChatGPT, Midjourney or other generative AI tools they personally use. This is consumer AI.\nEnterprise AI is different. It is the use of artificial intelligence (AI) at scale within companies to boost productivity, enhance decision-making, empower customer service and level up risk management, cybersecurity and innovation.\nConsumer AI has no organization-wide goals; enterprise AI does. Unlike consumer AI applications, enterprise AI is designed to solve complex business challenges at scale and integrate with existing corporate systems.\nAt its core, enterprise AI refers to AI systems deployed within organizational settings to analyze vast amounts of business data, automate routine tasks and provide actionable insights for strategic decision-making.\n\u201cEnterprise AI includes policies, strategies, infrastructure and technologies for widespread AI use within a large organization\u201d that requires \u201csignificant investment and effort,\u201d according to AWS.\nExamples of enterprise AI include:\n\nA credit card company using AI to detect fraud across billions of transactions\nA retailer using AI to optimize supply chain logistics\nA hospital using AI to analyze medical images for diagnoses\n\nThe most effective enterprise AI implementations typically address specific business problems rather than pursuing technology for its own sake.\nConsumer AI can be free or low-cost: think of the free or $20-a-month versions of ChatGPT, Gemini, Anthropic\u2019s Claude, Perplexity and others. Its capabilities can be enough for the needs of small businesses.\nEnterprise AI is far more costly, usually charged on a per user, per month basis. This is artificial intelligence tailored for a particular company\u2019s needs and goals.\nTypically, enterprise AI is deployed by larger companies at scale and integrated into existing systems. It is hyper-focused on security and compliance, such as GPDR and HIPAA regulations.\nImplementation of enterprise AI is typically done in stages, starting with identifying use cases with the highest impact, building proofs of concept and the deploying it at scale within the company.\nWhile most companies already have some form of automation in their existing systems, enterprise AI can make them smarter and more intuitive. Think of using a phone tree (press 1 for account information, press 2 for customer service, for example) compared with a conversation with ChatGPT.\nRead more: How to Manage Risks When Employees Use AI Secretly for Work\nTips for Deploying Enterprise AI\nTo deploy enterprise AI, John Roese, Dell\u2019s chief technology officer and chief AI officer, said in a recent YouTube video that the company first asks itself, \u201cwhat problem are we solving? What impact do we expect?\u201d Then, \u201conce we figure out what we\u2019re trying to do, how are we going to do it?\u201d\nRoese said companies should start by asking themselves these questions:\nWhat makes your company special? If improved with AI, what will actually let you win? \nAt Dell, Roese zeroed in on three strengths: Secure supply chain, enterprise salesforce and global services capabilities.\nWhat process in each area of your company\u2019s strengths will move the needle if enhanced with AI?\nTheir enterprise sales people would spend 40% of their time doing research as they prepare to meet clients.\nWhat tools and technologies will you use to solve the issue?\nTo help its enterprise salesforce, Dell used AI to speed up the preparation time for sales people before they meet with clients.\nTo prepare for AI deployment, Roese said companies must do the following:\n\nOrganize and structure the data to make it useful for AI.\nDon\u2019t create a custom AI tool for each use case \u2014 you\u2019ll end up with a lot \u2014 but rather see how the tool can be used for multiple purposes.\n\nRoese said Dell figured out that it only needed five types of AI capabilities that can be broadly applied to all use cases across the company.\nThe next question is whether to build or buy the AI tool. A year ago, Dell built them. Today, it doesn\u2019t. \u201cThere are now sufficient off-the-shelf tools that the vast majority of the AI components are inclusive of the models, the developer frameworks, the engines, [and] can actually be consumed as a standardized piece of technology from a provider,\u201d Roese said.\n\nFor all PYMNTS AI coverage, subscribe to the daily\u00a0AI\u00a0Newsletter.\n\nThe post AI Explained: What Businesses Need to Know for Enterprise AI Adoption appeared first on PYMNTS.com.", "date_published": "2025-04-21T14:06:42-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-04-21T14:06:42-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/679fcf5c2ed5358e99e8e23b22e3b5d761e37bdb76fa7b0e13d8ecd9ff01bf88?s=512&d=blank&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/679fcf5c2ed5358e99e8e23b22e3b5d761e37bdb76fa7b0e13d8ecd9ff01bf88?s=512&d=blank&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/enterprise-AI.png", "tags": [ "AI", "artificial intelligence", "business AI", "chatbots", "customer service", "data analysis", "Dell", "enterprise AI", "News", "PYMNTS News", "Technology", "artificial intelligence" ] }, { "id": "https://www.pymnts.com/?p=2688126", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/artificial-intelligence-2/2025/breakup-of-meta-google-may-spur-new-ai-innovation-wave-analysts-say/", "title": "Breakup of Meta, Google May Spur New AI Innovation Wave, Analysts Say", "content_html": "Just as companies are ramping up their artificial intelligence (AI) deployments in areas ranging from customer service to manufacturing, the U.S. government is seeking to break up two of the biggest AI players, which could have repercussions for AI development and investment for years to come.
\nLast week, the Federal Trade Commission began its anticompetition trial against Facebook parent Meta for its social media dominance. It is seeking a divestiture of Instagram and WhatsApp.
\nIn the same week, a Virginia judge ruled against Google, saying it acted illegally to maintain its dominance in online advertising technology. Google is also the subject of another antitrust lawsuit from the government for its search dominance. The government wants Google to give up its Chrome web browser, the most popular in the world.
\n\u201cThe ongoing antitrust trial against Meta and Google\u2019s recent antitrust losses can substantially reshape the AI ecosystem due to their roles as major AI developers and innovators,\u201d Ron Westfall, research director of communication networks at The Futurum Group, told PYMNTS.
\nThere will be short-term turbulence, but the companies would pivot. It could also lead to \u201cmore streamlined and focused innovation,\u201d similar to how AT&T\u2019s breakup led to more telecom and internet innovation and gave rise to competitors that thrived, Westfall said. In 1984, the U.S. government broke up AT&T, widely known as \u201cMa Bell,\u201d into seven regional telecom companies called \u201cBaby Bells,\u201d one of which is today\u2019s Verizon.
\nDev Nag, CEO of support automation firm QueryPal, believes a breakup will lead to more opportunities for smaller companies.
\n\u201cWhen monopolistic firms like Google and Meta face breakups or restrictions, we often see an explosion of innovation from smaller players who finally have room to compete,\u201d Nag told PYMNTS.
\n\u201cThe forced opening of critical resources \u2014 like Google potentially sharing search data with competitors \u2014 could democratize AI development in ways that accelerate progress beyond what any single company could achieve.\u201d
\nThese antitrust actions will likely result in a more resilient AI landscape and create pathways for the next crop of AI leaders who might otherwise be \u201csmothered by the giants,\u201d Nag added.
\nThe AI ecosystem is dominated by a handful of large firms that control critical resources \u2014\u00a0massive datasets, computing power and top-tier AI talent \u2014\u00a0according to a study from the Center for Security and Emerging Technology at Georgetown University. These companies also invest heavily in research and development, which fuels advances in everything from consumer products to defense applications.
\nApple is also facing its own antitrust trial over allegedly anticompetitive App Store policies, and Amazon is being sued by the FTC for allegedly using its dominant position in eCommerce to stifle rivals.
\nRead more: Meta\u2019s Landmark Antitrust Trial Opens With Focus on 2020 Election
\nMeta plays the spoiler in the AI race by offering open-source or freely available advanced AI models that can go head-to-head with those offered by AI leaders like OpenAI, Google, Anthropic and others. Meta\u2019s 2-year-old Llama family of models is the most popular open-source AI models in the world, hitting 1 billion downloads as of March 18.
\nBut Big Tech could become more cautious about investing in R&D under regulatory pressure, which dampens innovation, said Shawn DuBravac, CEO of the Avrio Institute who formerly worked at the Department of Justice\u2019s antitrust division. He pointed to the \u201csignificantly reduced\u201d investment by AT&T in its venerable Bell Labs after its breakup. Bell Labs \u2014 home to many tech breakthroughs and 11 Nobel Prizes \u2014 became a \u201cshadow of its former self,\u201d he told PYMNTS.
\nMike Conover, CEO of Brightwave, said that while anticompetitive practices have no place in an efficient market, the deep pockets of Big Tech are needed to keep U.S. AI leadership. \u201cLarge-scale language model training benefits from large-scale investment,\u201d he told PYMNTS. \u201cRegulators and courts would do well to preserve our domestic ability to execute Manhattan Project-scale AI programs like those initiated by these companies.\u201d
\nThere is a risk of \u201cregulatory overreach undermining U.S. AI market agility, particularly as China ramps up AI investment,\u201d Westfall agreed, although noting that appeals will likely postpone any breakup action for years.
\nBut Nag thinks otherwise. \u201cCounterintuitively, these antitrust cases might strengthen America\u2019s position against China in AI, not weaken it.\u201d A more vibrant ecosystem with more competitors and resource constraints often produces more breakthrough innovations, he added.
\nDamian Rollison, director of market insights at SOCi, thinks the U.S. can take a page from Europe.
\n\u201cThe remedies of forced divestiture are blunt instruments that may not achieve the desired ends,\u201d Rollison told PYMNTS. Instead, a better way is how the Europeans regulate, which \u201cprotects consumer rights and increases the responsibility of Big Tech over its content and influence.\u201d
\n\n
The post Breakup of Meta, Google May Spur New AI Innovation Wave, Analysts Say appeared first on PYMNTS.com.
\n", "content_text": "Just as companies are ramping up their artificial intelligence (AI) deployments in areas ranging from customer service to manufacturing, the U.S. government is seeking to break up two of the biggest AI players, which could have repercussions for AI development and investment for years to come.\nLast week, the Federal Trade Commission began its anticompetition trial against Facebook parent Meta for its social media dominance. It is seeking a divestiture of Instagram and WhatsApp.\nIn the same week, a Virginia judge ruled against Google, saying it acted illegally to maintain its dominance in online advertising technology. Google is also the subject of another antitrust lawsuit from the government for its search dominance. The government wants Google to give up its Chrome web browser, the most popular in the world.\n\u201cThe ongoing antitrust trial against Meta and Google\u2019s recent antitrust losses can substantially reshape the AI ecosystem due to their roles as major AI developers and innovators,\u201d Ron Westfall, research director of communication networks at The Futurum Group, told PYMNTS.\nThere will be short-term turbulence, but the companies would pivot. It could also lead to \u201cmore streamlined and focused innovation,\u201d similar to how AT&T\u2019s breakup led to more telecom and internet innovation and gave rise to competitors that thrived, Westfall said. In 1984, the U.S. government broke up AT&T, widely known as \u201cMa Bell,\u201d into seven regional telecom companies called \u201cBaby Bells,\u201d one of which is today\u2019s Verizon.\nDev Nag, CEO of support automation firm QueryPal, believes a breakup will lead to more opportunities for smaller companies.\n\u201cWhen monopolistic firms like Google and Meta face breakups or restrictions, we often see an explosion of innovation from smaller players who finally have room to compete,\u201d Nag told PYMNTS. \n\u201cThe forced opening of critical resources \u2014 like Google potentially sharing search data with competitors \u2014 could democratize AI development in ways that accelerate progress beyond what any single company could achieve.\u201d\nThese antitrust actions will likely result in a more resilient AI landscape and create pathways for the next crop of AI leaders who might otherwise be \u201csmothered by the giants,\u201d Nag added.\nThe AI ecosystem is dominated by a handful of large firms that control critical resources \u2014\u00a0massive datasets, computing power and top-tier AI talent \u2014\u00a0according to a study from the Center for Security and Emerging Technology at Georgetown University. These companies also invest heavily in research and development, which fuels advances in everything from consumer products to defense applications.\nApple is also facing its own antitrust trial over allegedly anticompetitive App Store policies, and Amazon is being sued by the FTC for allegedly using its dominant position in eCommerce to stifle rivals.\nRead more: Meta\u2019s Landmark Antitrust Trial Opens With Focus on 2020 Election\nBreakup\u2019s Impact on Innovation\nMeta plays the spoiler in the AI race by offering open-source or freely available advanced AI models that can go head-to-head with those offered by AI leaders like OpenAI, Google, Anthropic and others. Meta\u2019s 2-year-old Llama family of models is the most popular open-source AI models in the world, hitting 1 billion downloads as of March 18.\nBut Big Tech could become more cautious about investing in R&D under regulatory pressure, which dampens innovation, said Shawn DuBravac, CEO of the Avrio Institute who formerly worked at the Department of Justice\u2019s antitrust division. He pointed to the \u201csignificantly reduced\u201d investment by AT&T in its venerable Bell Labs after its breakup. Bell Labs \u2014 home to many tech breakthroughs and 11 Nobel Prizes \u2014 became a \u201cshadow of its former self,\u201d he told PYMNTS.\nMike Conover, CEO of Brightwave, said that while anticompetitive practices have no place in an efficient market, the deep pockets of Big Tech are needed to keep U.S. AI leadership. \u201cLarge-scale language model training benefits from large-scale investment,\u201d he told PYMNTS. \u201cRegulators and courts would do well to preserve our domestic ability to execute Manhattan Project-scale AI programs like those initiated by these companies.\u201d\nThere is a risk of \u201cregulatory overreach undermining U.S. AI market agility, particularly as China ramps up AI investment,\u201d Westfall agreed, although noting that appeals will likely postpone any breakup action for years.\nBut Nag thinks otherwise. \u201cCounterintuitively, these antitrust cases might strengthen America\u2019s position against China in AI, not weaken it.\u201d A more vibrant ecosystem with more competitors and resource constraints often produces more breakthrough innovations, he added.\nDamian Rollison, director of market insights at SOCi, thinks the U.S. can take a page from Europe.\n\u201cThe remedies of forced divestiture are blunt instruments that may not achieve the desired ends,\u201d Rollison told PYMNTS. Instead, a better way is how the Europeans regulate, which \u201cprotects consumer rights and increases the responsibility of Big Tech over its content and influence.\u201d\n \nThe post Breakup of Meta, Google May Spur New AI Innovation Wave, Analysts Say appeared first on PYMNTS.com.", "date_published": "2025-04-21T09:00:12-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-04-21T21:41:48-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/679fcf5c2ed5358e99e8e23b22e3b5d761e37bdb76fa7b0e13d8ecd9ff01bf88?s=512&d=blank&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/679fcf5c2ed5358e99e8e23b22e3b5d761e37bdb76fa7b0e13d8ecd9ff01bf88?s=512&d=blank&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Meta-Google-AI.jpg", "tags": [ "AI", "anticompetition", "Apple", "artificial intelligence", "Avrio Institute", "Brightwave", "Damian Rollison", "Dev Nag", "Featured News", "Federal Trade Commission", "GenAI", "generative AI", "Google", "Meta", "Mike Conover", "News", "PYMNTS News", "QueryPal", "Ron Westfall", "Shawn DuBravac", "SOCi", "The Futurum Group", "artificial intelligence" ] }, { "id": "https://www.pymnts.com/?p=2687669", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/artificial-intelligence-2/2025/45-percent-of-middle-market-firms-report-increased-use-of-genai/", "title": "45% of Middle-Market Firms Report Increased Use of GenAI", "content_html": "GenAI is rapidly shifting from back-office experimentation to the strategic core of finance departments at major U.S. corporations, according to a PYMNTS report, \u201cCFOs Envision Growing Role For GenAI In Finance.\u201d
\nPYMNTS surveyed 60 chief financial officers (CFOs) from United States firms with at least $1 billion in annual revenue, revealing a significant increase in the strategic application and positive outlook for generative artificial intelligence (AI) within their organizations. The findings indicate that CFOs are increasingly leveraging generative AI (GenAI) for high-impact tasks such as data visualization, financial reporting and capital management, signaling a departure from more routine applications. This growing reliance suggests that finance leaders are betting on GenAI to navigate economic uncertainties and enhance their strategic decision-making processes.
\nThe PYMNTS Intelligence research highlights a notable evolution in how CFOs perceive and utilize GenAI. In June 2024, a greater proportion of middle-market firms were employing the technology for medium-impact activities compared to low-impact ones, a trend that began in March. Specifically,\u00a045% of middle-market firms reported using GenAI for medium-impact tasks in June, up from 35% in March. Furthermore, CFOs expressed increasing confidence in the technology’s importance across various financial functions.\u00a0The percentage of CFOs who viewed GenAI as important for financial reporting surged from 37% in March to 68% in June, and for capital management, it rose from 30% to 58% over the same period. This growing adoption and heightened expectations underscore the transformative potential of GenAI within corporate finance.
\nKey data points from the PYMNTS Intelligence report include:
\nThe report also explores CFOs\u2019 perspectives on the shifting landscape of GenAI providers. While OpenAI\u2019s ChatGPT remains a prominent name, the movement of key personnel to competitors like Anthropic and the evolving market shares of companies like Microsoft and Google are capturing the attention of finance leaders. This dynamic environment could potentially offer CFOs more diverse and profitable avenues for their GenAI investments as new modalities and use cases emerge.
\n![\"graphic,](\"https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/GenAI-use-segment.jpg\")
The post 45% of Middle-Market Firms Report Increased Use of GenAI appeared first on PYMNTS.com.
\n", "content_text": "GenAI is rapidly shifting from back-office experimentation to the strategic core of finance departments at major U.S. corporations, according to a PYMNTS report, \u201cCFOs Envision Growing Role For GenAI In Finance.\u201d\nPYMNTS surveyed 60 chief financial officers (CFOs) from United States firms with at least $1 billion in annual revenue, revealing a significant increase in the strategic application and positive outlook for generative artificial intelligence (AI) within their organizations. The findings indicate that CFOs are increasingly leveraging generative AI (GenAI) for high-impact tasks such as data visualization, financial reporting and capital management, signaling a departure from more routine applications. This growing reliance suggests that finance leaders are betting on GenAI to navigate economic uncertainties and enhance their strategic decision-making processes.\nThe PYMNTS Intelligence research highlights a notable evolution in how CFOs perceive and utilize GenAI. In June 2024, a greater proportion of middle-market firms were employing the technology for medium-impact activities compared to low-impact ones, a trend that began in March. Specifically,\u00a045% of middle-market firms reported using GenAI for medium-impact tasks in June, up from 35% in March. Furthermore, CFOs expressed increasing confidence in the technology’s importance across various financial functions.\u00a0The percentage of CFOs who viewed GenAI as important for financial reporting surged from 37% in March to 68% in June, and for capital management, it rose from 30% to 58% over the same period. This growing adoption and heightened expectations underscore the transformative potential of GenAI within corporate finance.\nKey data points from the PYMNTS Intelligence report include:\n\nOver 98% of CFOs surveyed anticipate a positive impact of GenAI on their industry within the next three years, particularly in accelerating decision-making, up from the 77% who held the same view in March.\nThe most common reported use of GenAI among CFOs was for data visualizations and reports, with over 60% of respondents indicating its application in this area.\nCFOs\u2019 perception of OpenAI as the leading GenAI company has decreased, with\u00a020% identifying it as the leader in June, down from 27% earlier in the year. Meanwhile, perceptions of Microsoft, Google and Meta as dominant players have increased.\n\nThe report also explores CFOs\u2019 perspectives on the shifting landscape of GenAI providers. While OpenAI\u2019s ChatGPT remains a prominent name, the movement of key personnel to competitors like Anthropic and the evolving market shares of companies like Microsoft and Google are capturing the attention of finance leaders. This dynamic environment could potentially offer CFOs more diverse and profitable avenues for their GenAI investments as new modalities and use cases emerge.\n\nThe post 45% of Middle-Market Firms Report Increased Use of GenAI appeared first on PYMNTS.com.", "date_published": "2025-04-21T04:00:13-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-04-21T22:07:20-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/679fcf5c2ed5358e99e8e23b22e3b5d761e37bdb76fa7b0e13d8ecd9ff01bf88?s=512&d=blank&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/679fcf5c2ed5358e99e8e23b22e3b5d761e37bdb76fa7b0e13d8ecd9ff01bf88?s=512&d=blank&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/gen-ai-CFO.jpg", "tags": [ "AI", "artificial intelligence", "B2B", "B2B Payments", "CFOs", "Chief Financial Officers", "commercial payments", "data brief", "Featured News", "financial reporting", "GenAI", "generative AI", "News", "PYMNTS Intelligence", "PYMNTS News", "The Data Point", "What's Hot In B2B", "artificial intelligence" ] }, { "id": "https://www.pymnts.com/?p=2688070", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/artificial-intelligence-2/2025/ai-startup-mechanize-aims-for-automation-of-all-work/", "title": "AI Startup Mechanize Aims for \u2018Automation of All Work\u2019", "content_html": "Will artificial intelligence (AI) eventually replace humans in the workplace?\u00a0The founder of Mechanize seems to think so.\u00a0
\nThe startup \u2014 whose launch was covered by a Saturday (April 19) TechCrunch report \u2014 debuted last week with that mission, drawing some controversy in the process.
\n\u201cMechanize will build virtual work environments, benchmarks, and training data to enable the full automation of all work,\u201d Tamay Besiroglu wrote in a post on X.
\nThe company itself took things one step further, promising the full automation of the economy, according to its X announcement.
\n\u201cWe will achieve this by creating simulated environments and evaluations that capture the full scope of what people do at their jobs,\u201d Mechanize said. \u201cThis includes using a computer, completing long-horizon tasks that lack clear criteria for success, coordinating with others, and reprioritizing in the face of obstacles and interruptions.\u201d
\nAccording to TechCrunch, Besiroglu calculated Mechanize\u2019s total addressable market by aggregating all the wages humans are paid, roughly $60 trillion per year on a global scale.
\nHowever, he told the news outlet that \u201cour immediate focus is indeed on white-collar work\u201d and not manual labor jobs that would use robotics.\u00a0
\nThe report noted that the response to this launch was \u201cbrutal,\u201d with one X user arguing that the \u201cautomation of most human labor … will be a huge loss for most humans.\u201d\u00a0
\nAs PYMNTS wrote earlier this month, the question of whether AI will make human workers obsolete or make them more valuable is one that concerns many workers.
\nHowever, MIT economics professor David Autor argues that AI will in most cases augment workers rather than replace them.
\n\u201cThere are two competing visions of AI. One is machines make us irrelevant. Another is machines make us more useful. I think the latter has a lot to recommend it,\u201d Autor said at the 2025 MIT AI Conference in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
\nHe pointed to a historical precedent. \u201cOver the last 200 years, we have automated so much of what we do. We have mechanized. We have moved ourselves out of agriculture, out of manufacturing, out of back-breaking toil,\u201d Autor said. Yet, \u201cWe have made labor more valuable during that period.\u201d
\nStill, workers are worried. Research by PYMNTS Intelligence \u2014 from the report \u201cGenAI: A Generational Look at AI Usage and Attitudes\u201d \u2014 shows that 54% of respondents think AI poses a \u201csignificant risk\u201d of widespread job displacement.\u00a0
\nThese concerns span industries and demographics, though some are more worried than others. Workers in the technology sector and non-customer-facing roles were the most concerned (58%), while healthcare and education workers were less so, at a respective 48% and 52%.
\nThe post AI Startup Mechanize Aims for ‘Automation of All Work’ appeared first on PYMNTS.com.
\n", "content_text": "Will artificial intelligence (AI) eventually replace humans in the workplace?\u00a0The founder of Mechanize seems to think so.\u00a0\nThe startup \u2014 whose launch was covered by a Saturday (April 19) TechCrunch report \u2014 debuted last week with that mission, drawing some controversy in the process.\n\u201cMechanize will build virtual work environments, benchmarks, and training data to enable the full automation of all work,\u201d Tamay Besiroglu wrote in a post on X.\nThe company itself took things one step further, promising the full automation of the economy, according to its X announcement.\n\u201cWe will achieve this by creating simulated environments and evaluations that capture the full scope of what people do at their jobs,\u201d Mechanize said. \u201cThis includes using a computer, completing long-horizon tasks that lack clear criteria for success, coordinating with others, and reprioritizing in the face of obstacles and interruptions.\u201d\nAccording to TechCrunch, Besiroglu calculated Mechanize\u2019s total addressable market by aggregating all the wages humans are paid, roughly $60 trillion per year on a global scale.\nHowever, he told the news outlet that \u201cour immediate focus is indeed on white-collar work\u201d and not manual labor jobs that would use robotics.\u00a0\nThe report noted that the response to this launch was \u201cbrutal,\u201d with one X user arguing that the \u201cautomation of most human labor … will be a huge loss for most humans.\u201d\u00a0\nAs PYMNTS wrote earlier this month, the question of whether AI will make human workers obsolete or make them more valuable is one that concerns many workers.\nHowever, MIT economics professor David Autor argues that AI will in most cases augment workers rather than replace them.\n\u201cThere are two competing visions of AI. One is machines make us irrelevant. Another is machines make us more useful. I think the latter has a lot to recommend it,\u201d Autor said at the 2025 MIT AI Conference in Cambridge, Massachusetts.\nHe pointed to a historical precedent. \u201cOver the last 200 years, we have automated so much of what we do. We have mechanized. We have moved ourselves out of agriculture, out of manufacturing, out of back-breaking toil,\u201d Autor said. Yet, \u201cWe have made labor more valuable during that period.\u201d\nStill, workers are worried. Research by PYMNTS Intelligence \u2014 from the report \u201cGenAI: A Generational Look at AI Usage and Attitudes\u201d \u2014 shows that 54% of respondents think AI poses a \u201csignificant risk\u201d of widespread job displacement.\u00a0\nThese concerns span industries and demographics, though some are more worried than others. Workers in the technology sector and non-customer-facing roles were the most concerned (58%), while healthcare and education workers were less so, at a respective 48% and 52%.\nThe post AI Startup Mechanize Aims for ‘Automation of All Work’ appeared first on PYMNTS.com.", "date_published": "2025-04-20T18:26:07-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-04-21T22:07:02-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/679fcf5c2ed5358e99e8e23b22e3b5d761e37bdb76fa7b0e13d8ecd9ff01bf88?s=512&d=blank&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/679fcf5c2ed5358e99e8e23b22e3b5d761e37bdb76fa7b0e13d8ecd9ff01bf88?s=512&d=blank&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Mechanize-AI-workplace.jpg", "tags": [ "AI", "AI startups", "artificial intelligence", "automation", "B2B", "B2B Payments", "commercial payments", "Mechanize", "News", "PYMNTS News", "Tamay Besiroglu", "What's Hot", "What's Hot In B2B", "workplace automation", "artificial intelligence" ] }, { "id": "https://www.pymnts.com/?p=2687365", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/artificial-intelligence-2/2025/openai-says-its-latest-models-bring-more-capable-ai-agents-to-business/", "title": "OpenAI Says Its Latest Reasoning Models Upgrade Agentic Capabilities", "content_html": "OpenAI unveiled its latest AI models this week that it says are poised to bring more capable AI agents to business. These new reasoning models can use all of ChatGPT\u2019s tools and even incorporate images \u2014 a first for the company.
\nThe new o3 and o4-mini reasoning models are the \u201csmartest\u201d it has released to date and represent a \u201cstep change\u201d in ChatGPT\u2019s capabilities, according to an OpenAI blog post. The models make ChatGPT more capable \u2014 and more similar to holistic human capabilities.
\n\u201cThere are some models that feel like a qualitative step into the future,\u201d OpenAI President Greg Brockman said in an OpenAI video. He said GPT-4 was one of those models \u2014 and now o3 and o4-mini.
\nThese models represent a big step toward more robust agentic artificial intelligence (AI) systems that can independently execute tasks on behalf of users, the company says. With full access to ChatGPT\u2019s tools and custom tools, these models can autonomously coordinate multiple actions to solve complex problems.
\nOpenAI\u2019s latest models are the latest salvo in an increasingly crowded AI market.
\nGoogle DeepMind\u2019s Project Astra, a multimodal AI assistant, comes the closest in capability and was first unveiled a year ago. Astra can see, hear and understand its surroundings. However, Astra is not as advanced in reasoning, is not agentic and hasn\u2019t been released publicly.
\nIn March, OpenAI CPO Kevin Weil said at a conference that while ChatGPT is currently at the top, \u201cit doesn\u2019t mean that we\u2019re going to have a lead forever. I think those days of us having a 12-month lead are probably gone \u2014 there\u2019s just too many smart people, too much going on in the ecosystem.\u201d
\nWhether or not OpenAI stays in the lead, companies are all in on AI.
\nNearly 90% of CFOs report that they are seeing a \u201cvery positive\u201d ROI from generative AI, according to a February PYMNTS Intelligence CAIO Report. That\u2019s three times as many as those who said so in March 2024.
\nMoreover, at least 91% of CFOs surveyed have \u201chigh\u201d or \u201ccomplete trust\u201d in generative AI\u2019s output in 10 key areas, partly due to the use of their company\u2019s own data as the basis for the AI\u2019s responses.
\nHowever, 29% did say that the AI\u2019s responses \u201cmight not be very insightful\u201d \u2014 this was the top concern about generative AI\u2019s outputs.
\nRead more: OpenAI Product Chief Says ChatGPT Will Become Agentic in 2025
\nHere\u2019s what makes these models different from OpenAI\u2019s other models:
\n\u201cThe reason we\u2019re so excited about tools is that it makes our reasoning models that much more useful and that much smarter,\u201d Mark Chen, OpenAI\u2019s chief research officer, said in the OpenAI video.
\nOne example: A user asks, \u201cHow will summer energy usage in California compare to last year?\u201d The model searches the internet for public utility data, writes Python code to build a forecast, generates a graph or image and explains key factors for the prediction, according to OpenAI.
\nAs for performance, the startup said o3 makes 20% fewer major errors than predecessor o1 (o2 was skipped) on difficult, real-world tasks. It especially excelled in programming, consulting and coming up with creative ideas.
\nThe o4-mini model, meanwhile, focuses on balancing performance with efficiency. This smaller model excels in mathematics, coding and visual analysis tasks. Efficiency gains let o4-mini support higher usage volumes than o3-mini, making it ideal for larger and more complex tasks.
\nOpenAI said for most real-world uses, o3 and o4-mini will be cheaper than o1 and o3-mini while outperforming them on tasks.
\nThe models are now available for ChatGPT Plus, Pro and Team users. ChatGPT Enterprise and Edu users will get them in a week. Free users can try o4-mini by selecting \u201cThink\u201d before entering a prompt. Developers can access the models via the Chat Completions API and Responses API.
\nOpenAI o3-pro should be out in a few weeks.
\nThe post OpenAI Says Its Latest Reasoning Models Upgrade Agentic Capabilities appeared first on PYMNTS.com.
\n", "content_text": "OpenAI unveiled its latest AI models this week that it says are poised to bring more capable AI agents to business. These new reasoning models can use all of ChatGPT\u2019s tools and even incorporate images \u2014 a first for the company.\nThe new o3 and o4-mini reasoning models are the \u201csmartest\u201d it has released to date and represent a \u201cstep change\u201d in ChatGPT\u2019s capabilities, according to an OpenAI blog post. The models make ChatGPT more capable \u2014 and more similar to holistic human capabilities.\n\u201cThere are some models that feel like a qualitative step into the future,\u201d OpenAI President Greg Brockman said in an OpenAI video. He said GPT-4 was one of those models \u2014 and now o3 and o4-mini.\nThese models represent a big step toward more robust agentic artificial intelligence (AI) systems that can independently execute tasks on behalf of users, the company says. With full access to ChatGPT\u2019s tools and custom tools, these models can autonomously coordinate multiple actions to solve complex problems.\nOpenAI\u2019s latest models are the latest salvo in an increasingly crowded AI market.\nGoogle DeepMind\u2019s Project Astra, a multimodal AI assistant, comes the closest in capability and was first unveiled a year ago. Astra can see, hear and understand its surroundings. However, Astra is not as advanced in reasoning, is not agentic and hasn\u2019t been released publicly.\nIn March, OpenAI CPO Kevin Weil said at a conference that while ChatGPT is currently at the top, \u201cit doesn\u2019t mean that we\u2019re going to have a lead forever. I think those days of us having a 12-month lead are probably gone \u2014 there\u2019s just too many smart people, too much going on in the ecosystem.\u201d\nWhether or not OpenAI stays in the lead, companies are all in on AI.\nNearly 90% of CFOs report that they are seeing a \u201cvery positive\u201d ROI from generative AI, according to a February PYMNTS Intelligence CAIO Report. That\u2019s three times as many as those who said so in March 2024.\nMoreover, at least 91% of CFOs surveyed have \u201chigh\u201d or \u201ccomplete trust\u201d in generative AI\u2019s output in 10 key areas, partly due to the use of their company\u2019s own data as the basis for the AI\u2019s responses.\nHowever, 29% did say that the AI\u2019s responses \u201cmight not be very insightful\u201d \u2014 this was the top concern about generative AI\u2019s outputs.\nRead more: OpenAI Product Chief Says ChatGPT Will Become Agentic in 2025\nHow o3 and o4-mini Are Different\nHere\u2019s what makes these models different from OpenAI\u2019s other models:\n\nThey can use every tool within ChatGPT, including searching the internet, analyzing uploaded files and other data, reasoning about images and generating images.\nThey incorporate images directly into their reasoning, which boosts their problem-solving skills. Images can be blurry, upside down or drawn by hand. The models can zoom into an image, if needed.\nThey merge the reasoning capabilities of OpenAI\u2019s o-series AI models with the conversational abilities of the GPT series of large language models (LLMs).\nThey reason through which tools to use \u2014 one task called for using 600 tools \u2014 to solve complex problems, usually within a minute. OpenAI said this translates to \u201csignificantly\u201d better performance.\n\n\u201cThe reason we\u2019re so excited about tools is that it makes our reasoning models that much more useful and that much smarter,\u201d Mark Chen, OpenAI\u2019s chief research officer, said in the OpenAI video.\nOne example: A user asks, \u201cHow will summer energy usage in California compare to last year?\u201d The model searches the internet for public utility data, writes Python code to build a forecast, generates a graph or image and explains key factors for the prediction, according to OpenAI.\nAs for performance, the startup said o3 makes 20% fewer major errors than predecessor o1 (o2 was skipped) on difficult, real-world tasks. It especially excelled in programming, consulting and coming up with creative ideas.\nThe o4-mini model, meanwhile, focuses on balancing performance with efficiency. This smaller model excels in mathematics, coding and visual analysis tasks. Efficiency gains let o4-mini support higher usage volumes than o3-mini, making it ideal for larger and more complex tasks.\nOpenAI said for most real-world uses, o3 and o4-mini will be cheaper than o1 and o3-mini while outperforming them on tasks.\nThe models are now available for ChatGPT Plus, Pro and Team users. ChatGPT Enterprise and Edu users will get them in a week. Free users can try o4-mini by selecting \u201cThink\u201d before entering a prompt. Developers can access the models via the Chat Completions API and Responses API.\nOpenAI o3-pro should be out in a few weeks.\nThe post OpenAI Says Its Latest Reasoning Models Upgrade Agentic Capabilities appeared first on PYMNTS.com.", "date_published": "2025-04-18T10:00:31-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-04-20T22:32:28-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/679fcf5c2ed5358e99e8e23b22e3b5d761e37bdb76fa7b0e13d8ecd9ff01bf88?s=512&d=blank&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/679fcf5c2ed5358e99e8e23b22e3b5d761e37bdb76fa7b0e13d8ecd9ff01bf88?s=512&d=blank&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/OpenAI-models-AI-agents.png", "tags": [ "agentic AI", "AI", "AI agents", "AI models", "chatbots", "ChatGPT", "Google", "News", "OpenAI", "PYMNTS News", "Technology", "artificial intelligence" ] } ] }