Salesforce acquires AI customer service platform Fin for $3.6 billion to supercharge its Agentforce platform as the company battles a stock slump of over one-third in 2026 amid fears that emerging AI could disrupt its core business model.
McDonald's is testing a Google-powered AI drive-thru system called 'Archy' at five U.S. locations, completing 90% of orders without human help while taking orders in English and Spanish — signaling a potentially major shift in fast food despite customer pushback.
The EU orders Meta to restore free third-party AI access to WhatsApp's Business API, ruling that blocking rival chatbots and charging fees for access constitutes an abuse of Meta's dominant position in European messaging markets, as Meta vows to appeal the decision.
Slack's Workflow Builder is transforming workplace productivity, now powering over 3 million daily automations and delivering up to 35% time savings, with companies like Wayfair reclaiming 25,000 hours annually and Canva slashing meeting times by over 90% using AI-driven, no-code automation tools.
Meta launches Meta Business Agent, an AI-powered tool providing businesses 24/7 personalized customer support across WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram, while also offering operational insights and a new enterprise platform for large-scale deployment integrating with systems like Shopify and Zendesk.
Gusto launches 'Gusto Cofounder,' an AI agent powered by OpenAI that lets small business owners automate payroll, expenses, and reporting using plain-language prompts, with built-in integrations and a competitive edge from its deep existing presence within thousands of businesses.
AWS is now licensing Amazon's AI shopping technology to retailers, enabling them to launch custom AI shopping tools in as little as 60 days, with luxury brand Kate Spade already live using the service to power a gifting assistant.
Airbnb's new AI-powered features, unveiled at its 2026 Summer Release, are already resolving 40% of customer support issues, with CEO Brian Chesky earning praise for delivering practical, real-world improvements over the sweeping, unproven promises dominating the tech industry.
Braintrust launches multi-turn AI conversation evaluation tools that expose hidden chatbot failures—like repeated questions and contradictions—by scoring both individual responses and full conversations at scale in production.
Anthropic launches Claude for Small Business, offering 15 ready-to-run AI workflows across finance, HR, sales, and operations, with integrations for QuickBooks, HubSpot, and Microsoft 365, aiming to close the AI adoption gap for small businesses that drive 44% of US GDP.