Delta Air Lines is testing a new AI pricing system that tailors fares to individual customers, a move that could reshape how airline tickets are sold and priced. The system, developed in partnership with Israeli startup Fetcherr, is already being used on 3% of Delta’s flights, with plans to expand it to 20% by the end of the year. Personalized pricing — or surveillance pricing as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) calls it — is pricing tailored to the individual based on the personal data collected. That’s different from dynamic pricing, which is determined by market factors such as real-time supply and demand and pricing by competitors. While the price changes, everyone sees the same price at a given time. Airlines, ride-sharing and other companies already use dynamic pricing. In a nutshell, dynamic pricing changes based on when a consumer buys. Personalized pricing changes based on who the consumer is. Delta seeks to gain a “first-mover advantage,” President Glen Hauenstein added. “We do believe that we are ahead of our competitors in terms of implementing this and in changing our business processes and rules around it.” Ultimately, this is “a full reengineering of how we price — and how we will be pricing in the future,” Hauenstein said.
Apple will be automatically sorting unknown texts into a new category in iOS 26 irritating political groups that rely on donations via spam texts
Apple will be automatically sorting unknown texts into a new category in iOS 26. That’s irritating political groups that rely on donations via spam texts. A letter from National Republican Senatorial Committee says it could see $500 million lost in GOP revenue. The letter incorrectly suggests that iOS 26 treats unknown callers as spam, which is a separate filtering category. Instead, it will be treated as “unknown,” which it is if the user has never interacted with the number or if it isn’t in their contacts. That said, the system could certainly lead to users missing the texts — especially less technically sophisticated ones. Unknown texts don’t notify users by default, nor do they place a notification badge on the app icon. These political entities have gone through the trouble of ensuring the laws allow them to text people constantly, and carriers have even allowed the behavior. Apple’s steps to ensure users have some sanity and control over their messaging inbox undercut these efforts. The estimated $25 million revenue hit to the NRSC is certainly not negligible. Whether or not these political entities are acting legally isn’t up for debate, but their necessity certainly is. Especially when a lot of the texts are mostly attempts to trick people into thinking (insert political name) is texting them directly asking for $20.
The share of AI-powered chatbots in searches conducted through desktop browsers reaches 5.6% in June, up from 2.48% in June 2024 and 1.3% in January 2024
AI-powered chatbots reportedly account for a small but growing share of searches conducted through desktop browsers. The share of those searches in the United States that went to chatbots rather than traditional search engines reached 5.6% in June, up from 2.48% in June 2024 and 1.3% in January 2024. These numbers do not include search traffic from mobile browsers and apps. The share is higher among early adopters of AI-powered chatbots. Among the consumers who were already using these chatbots when Datos began tracking their behavior in April 2024, the share of desktop searches that went to AI reached 40% in June, up from 24% a year earlier. Datos CEO and co-founder Eli Goodman told that this growth marks a change that could be as significant as the introduction of Google’s web browser and the first social media platforms. This development has sparked the creation of AI-optimization startups that aim to help brands have their names show up in AI searches. It has also created an opportunity to include advertising in AI search replies, something Perplexity is experimenting with. Perplexity launched an AI-powered web browser called Comet, saying the browser lets users answer questions and carry out tasks and research from a single interface.
Latest merchandise spending data says dollar stores and Amazon both are gaining momentum while warehouse clubs such as Costco, BJ’s and Sam’s Club are slowing
Retailers face mounting pricing pressure as consumers adjust their spending habits, and value becomes a universal priority, according to a new report from Consumer Edge. The study finds high-income and young shoppers are both trading down. Walmart and Dollar General saw more new customers from the $150K-plus income bracket and 18-to-34 age group, signaling broader value-seeking behavior. Dollar stores and Amazon both gaining momentum Dollar Tree and Five Below posted double-digit growth since mid-April 2025, while Amazon maintained steady high single-digit gains and remains the dominant U.S. e-commerce player. Warehouse growth slows Growth slowed from elevated levels at warehouse clubs such as Costco, BJ’s and Sam’s Club as consumers pulled back on bulk purchases after a stock-up driven boost. Target’s new customer mix skews older and lower-income Unlike Walmart, Target’s new customer growth is driven by lower-income shoppers, suggesting it may be losing appeal among higher-income consumers managing discretionary spend. Its once-strong “cheap chic” image may no longer resonate with younger, trend-conscious buyers. Geographic shifts Dollar stores and discount chains remain dominant in rural areas with continued expansion, while urban consumers lean toward warehouse clubs and e-commerce. However, Amazon’s rapid delivery rollout could blur that divide. Retention trends Deep brand loyalty contributes to Amazon, Walmart and Costco’s strong customer retention rates. Meanwhile, dollar stores maintain lower retention rates, as their value-driven, transactional model attracts more occasional and price-sensitive shoppers.
Target’s back-to-school promo to include in-store personalization stations- shoppers can customize school and dorm essentials — from backpacks and lunchboxes to towels and pillows — with embroidery, patches, pins and more
Target Corp. is bringing back a popular in-store feature for its “Back-to-School-idays” shopping event, running July 27 – Aug. 2. The discounter will once again offer personalization stations, where shoppers can customize school and dorm essentials — from backpacks and lunchboxes to towels and pillows — with embroidery, patches, pins and more. The personalization is free with purchase. The stations will be featured in nearly 500 stores, doubling the number of locations compared to last year due to its popularity and shoppers’ request for more, the retailer said. Target will also host 100 college-focused events in stores July 26, and 400 events celebrating “back-to-school style” Aug. 2-3. The in-store events will include exclusive giveaways such as shoelace kits, school-themed patches and monogrammed bath wraps. Select stores will also feature tech demos. As part of its back-to-school shopping event, Target will offer discounts of up to 30% on key school items such as select backpacks and kids’ apparel. And as previously announced, Target is holding 2024 prices on its list of 20 must-have supplies — adding up to a total of less than $20 — and last year’s top-selling $5 backpack. The retailer is also offering over 1,000 items under $5, including $0.25 crayons and glue sticks, $2 water bottles and $5 wired headphones.
Credibur’s platform orchestrates the full lifecycle of institutional funding for alt lenders from structuring through reporting and contract management, to capital calls and administration of special purpose vehicles (SPVs) through a modular API-and-AI-first infrastructure
Credibur has secured $2.2 million (€1.85 million) in pre-seed funding to launch its credit infrastructure platform. With Credibur, Nicolas Kipp, Founder and CEO of Credibur, and his team are developing infrastructure that solves a central problem in the structured credit portfolio business between non-bank lenders and institutional capital providers: it automates complex, Excel-based workflows and provides all critical decision-making data in real-time. The new platform for debt facility management goes far beyond traditional reporting tools, orchestrating the full lifecycle of institutional funding: from structuring through reporting and contract management, to capital calls and the administration of special purpose vehicles (SPVs). The solution targets alternative lenders such as BNPL providers, factoring and leasing companies, as well as institutional investors, including asset managers, debt funds, and family offices. Credibur’s modular API-and-AI-first infrastructure enables a more informed risk assessment and improved decision-making in the credit business. Time-consuming, error-prone Excel lists managing millions of euros become a thing of the past, as data is delivered directly from systems via interfaces. With Credibur, Kipp is now solving the fundamental problem: manual debt facility management is slowing growth across the entire private credit sector. His infrastructure can finally digitalise this €430 billion industry in Europe.
Scrunch AI’s platform enables brands to serve compressed, structured, and machine-readable content specifically for AI crawlers and agents, thereby improving discoverability and placement without requiring a redesign of existing websites
Scrunch AI, the company helping brands understand and improve how they appear in AI search, announced a $15 million Series A funding round led by Decibel, with participation from Mayfield, Homebrew, and other strategic investors. The company is powering the shift from traditional SEO to AI search optimization. In addition to its enterprise-grade solutions, Scrunch has also launched a dedicated offering for agencies, designed to help them guide their clients through the transition to AI search. This program provides tailored access, insights, and tools specifically built for managing multiple brands and implementing at scale. The newly raised capital will accelerate the development and deployment of the Scrunch Agent Experience Platform (AXP), a new infrastructure layer that helps brands serve optimized content directly to AI crawlers and agents. Traditional websites designed for human browsers are often inefficient and ineffective for AI. AXP enables brands to maintain their existing websites for users while delivering compressed, structured, and machine-readable content specifically for AI engines, thereby improving discoverability and placement without requiring a redesign. AXP is currently in pilot with enterprise customers and will be rolled out more broadly in the months ahead.
VantageScore 4.0 is coming but much work needs to be done and analysts suggest it would arrive sometime around the summer of 2026
In the days following the announcement that VantageScore 4.0 was suddenly in play for conventional mortgages, FinLocker‘s Brian Vieaux had to burst some bubbles. Most of the 15 to 20 loan officers he spoke to were ecstatic about being able to use the new credit scoring model. Millions of new prospective borrowers could be scored with VantageScore, they said. That’s opportunity in a down market. “I was like, ‘OK, guys, totally agree. If you can wave a magic wand and tomorrow — in your point of sale and your LOS, and the underwriting engines and all the technologies that that talk downstream — this was there and ready, yeah, I think it would open up some interesting opportunities with borrowers. And it will,” Vieaux said. “The other side of it is talking to the owner-operators of these companies, and they’re like, ‘This doesn’t become reality till 2026.’” For about a week, the mortgage industry operated in confusion about what comes next. It wasn’t even clear whether the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) wanted both FICO and VantageScore scores, or if they wanted lenders to choose between the two. FHFA Director Bill Pulte on Tuesday afternoon clarified several key points about Fannie Mae‘s and Freddie Mac‘s embrace of VantageScore, which is collectively owned by the three major credit reporting bureaus — Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. The tri-merge credit report will also remain. Pulte said lenders will be able to choose between FICO Classic, introduced in the late 1980s, and VantageScore 4.0. The GSEs will be working to update their Selling Guide policies, but at the moment they are not currently able to purchase mortgages with VantageScore 4.0 credit scores. The agencies will also need to create a new loan level pricing adjustment (LLPA) matrix before it can purchase loans with VantageScore 4.0 credit scores.
Lovart’s generative design platform users enables users to generate up to 40 high-fidelity, premium assets in minutes with just a simple text prompt or a reference image by assessing and analyzing the brand’s requirements, business context, and the target audience
Lovart, a bold AI design and branding Agent, has officially launched its long-awaited generative design platform, exiting Beta with a bold mission: to generate six figure or higher branding and advertising campaigns using nothing more than a single text prompt. Under the hood, Lovart is powered by its proprietary creative reasoning engine, MCoT (Mind Chain of Thought). Going as far as assessing and analyzing the brand’s requirements, business context, and the target audience, its output is on par with top-tier Creative Directors and professional-grade visual assets. With just a simple text prompt or a reference image, users can generate up to 40 high-fidelity, premium assets in only minutes. From branding kits, social posts and storyboards to UI flows and even packaging, Lovart delivers a breadth of output rarely seen in a single platform. But what truly sets it apart is its creative intelligence – the first of its kind to infuse visual outputs with an unexpected, witty, and human-like flair. The Features Redefining Creative Work: ChatCanvas – Lovart’s “ChatCanvas” is an infinite, intelligent canvas that responds to intent through shared visual and dialogue. It is built for true creative collaboration between humans and AI. Multi-agent Co-Creation – Autonomous Design Intelligenc; . Long-Term Recall – . Learns and Predicts Workflow Habits – Advanced Canvas Editing –Top AI Models Under One Roof – As a full-spectrum creative suite, Lovart also supports cross-modal generation across image, video, and audio. Lovart supports top AI models including GPT Image-1, Flux Kontext, VEO3, OpenAI-o3, Gemini Imagen, Kling AI, Hailuo, Tripo AI, Recraft v3, Runway Gen-4, Ideogram 3.0, Rodin, and more.
Mistral’s AI voice model can listen to and transcribe up to 30 minutes of audio or 40 minutes of audio understanding without switching to a separate mode and offer summarization at less than half the price of comparable APIs
Mistral released an open-sourced voice model that could rival paid voice AI, such as those from ElevenLabs and Hume AI, which the company said bridges the gap between proprietary speech recognition models and the more open, yet error-prone versions. The company said Voxtral “offers state-of-the-art accuracy and native semantic understanding in the open, at less than half the price of comparable APIs.” Voxtral, at a 32K token context, can listen to and transcribe up to 30 minutes of audio or 40 minutes of audio understanding. It offers summarization, meaning the model can answer questions based on the audio content and generate summaries without switching to a separate mode. Users can trigger functions and API calls based on spoken instructions. The model is based on Mistral’s Mistral Small 3.1 and supports multiple languages and can automatically detect languages. Mistral added enterprise features to Voxtral, including private deployment, so that organizations can integrate the model into their own ecosystems. These features also include domain-specific fine-tuning and advanced context and priority access to engineering resources for customers who need help integrating Voxtral into their workflows. Mistral stated that Voxtral outperformed existing voice models, including OpenAI’s Whisper, Gemini 2.5 Flash and Scribe from ElevenLabs. Voxtral presented fewer word errors compared to Whisper, which is currently considered the best automatic speech recognition model available.