Vouched announced the launch of several initiatives to ensure the coming ecosystem of AI Software Agents is built on a foundation of strong identity and trust. These include Agent Reputation Directory, a groundbreaking solution designed to address the critical gap in identity and trust for autonomous software agents – or, how to tell good agents from bad. As AI agents become increasingly integral to digital workflows, this tool ensures that only verified, trustworthy agents can participate in sensitive operations-protecting organizations and individuals from fraud, impersonation, and unauthorized access. As AI agents increasingly represent individuals and organizations in digital interactions, Vouched’s Know Your Agent introduces a suite of innovations that close critical identity gaps: 1) MCP-I (MCP-Identity): A proposed extension to the MCP protocol, MCP-I adds robust identity capabilities for both agents and humans, enabling secure, identity-aware communication in agent-based ecosystems. 2) Vouched MCP-Identity Server: A turnkey SaaS solution with easy-to-integrate APIs for strong identity verification in agent systems and applications. It includes a developer toolkit for AI agents to securely store verified credentials and delegations. Aligned with the MCP-I specification, the SDK supports scalable, standards-based identity integration for AI-driven workflows. 3) Know That AI (http://knowthat.ai): A transparent Agent Reputation Directory that allows users to verify agent identities and review reputation data, with a core focus on fraud prevention and digital trust. Know That AI is a community-driven system where MCP Servers can report on the behavior of software agents (good or bad) to lead to a community-driven assessment of that agent’s trustworthiness.
Picus Security’s service accurately quantifies the actual exploitability of vulnerabilities against real-world attack techniques in real time using context-aware scoring that replaces assumptions with evidence
Cybersecurity validation startup Picus Security launched Picus Exposure Validation, a new service that allows security teams to verify the exploitability of vulnerabilities based on their unique environments. The new capability has been designed to continuously test security controls against real-world attack techniques to identify which vulnerabilities are truly exploitable and which can safely be deprioritized. Picus Exposure Score provides an evidence-based, context-aware metric that accurately quantifies actual risk by accounting for how effectively current security controls mitigate real threats. Common Vulnerability Scoring System, Exploit Prediction Scoring System and Known Exploited Vulnerabilities offer theoretical risk signals. Picus Exposure Validation delivers proof by testing threats against your production defenses in real time. It replaces assumptions with evidence so security teams can focus on vulnerabilities that are exploitable. Picus Exposure Validation allows security teams to prioritize accurately and deprioritize safely. The service leverages a transparent, automated Exposure Score and advanced security validation technologies to allow teams to focus on threats that truly matter and confidently set aside vulnerabilities that pose no real risk. The new service also enables faster, more confident decision-making. With real-time reporting, continuous attack simulations and in-depth security control testing, users are provided with the evidence needed for compliance documentation and executive communication. Picus Exposure Validation additionally helps save time and improve mitigation efforts via automated validation that reduces manual workloads. The resulting tailored recommendations support rapid improvements in security control effectiveness, even when immediate patching isn’t feasible.
Persado’s multi-agent AI platform for financial services marketing continuously learns from consent orders, public comments, and evolving regulations, and refines analysis with every interaction to offer 90% reduction in legal review
Persado, a provider of AI-powered content compliance and performance solutions for marketing, today launched Persado Marketing Compliance AI, the first agentic AI platform purpose-built for financial services marketing and legal teams to speed time to market of customer communications. The enterprise-grade solution integrates regulatory compliance analysis, performance prediction scoring, and brand fit insights, so companies can identify and rapidly resolve risks within content, shortening legal reviews by up to 90%.Persado’s first Marketing Compliance AI solution is designed for large and mid-size retail banks and credit unions. The solution leverages AI agents and builds on a decade of content insights gleaned from working with 8 of the 10 largest U.S. banks. In turn, marketers can rapidly analyze, edit, and finalize copy, achieving (on average): 90% reduction in review time; 85% reduction in compliance rejections; 80%+ reduction in campaign cycle time. Persado Marketing Compliance AI applies multi-agent AI that continuously learns from consent orders, public comments, and evolving regulations—and refine analysis with every interaction, providing institutions with smarter, more precise insights over time. AI agents include: Regulation agents; Marketing agents; Library and oversight agents. Additional solution capabilities include analysis of copy in PDF, text, and image formats for adherence to Federal, state, and local laws, a library of high-risk expressions, copy performance scoring, disclaimer analysis, customizable compliance guidelines, and more. Persado also offers customizable, integrated workflows that enable marketing and legal to collaborate in the platform in real time, leveraging the agentic output to streamline decision making.
Banking groups led by ABA want the SEC to revoke its cybersecurity incident disclosure requirement because of need for confidentiality about critical infrastructure
American banking groups want the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to revoke its cybersecurity incident disclosure requirements. These groups, led by the American Bankers Association (ABA), wrote to the SEC last week, contending that disclosing cybersecurity incidents “directly conflicts with confidential reporting requirements intended to protect critical infrastructure and warn potential victims.” Joining the ABA were the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, the Bank Policy Institute, Independent Community Bankers of America, and the Institute of International Bankers, who argue the rule hinders regulatory efforts to bolster national cybersecurity. The letter was flagged in a report Monday (May 26) by Cointelegraph, which noted that the rule in question — the SEC’s Cybersecurity Risk Management rule, published in July 2023 — requires companies to quickly disclose incidents such as data breaches or hacks. But the banking groups say this rule was flawed from the beginning and has been problematic in practice since going into effect. The letter said that the “complex and narrow disclosure delay mechanism” interferes with incident response and law enforcement, while also breeding “market confusion” between mandatory and voluntary disclosures.
Google is betting on a ‘world model’, an AI operating system that mirrors human brain with a deep understanding of real-world dynamics, simulating cause and effect and learning by observing
Google’s doubling-down on what it calls “a world model” – an AI it aims to imbue with a deep understanding of real-world dynamics – and with it a vision for a universal assistant – one powered by Google. This concept of “a world model,” as articulated by Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind, is about creating AI that learns the underlying principles of how the world works – simulating cause and effect, understanding intuitive physics, and ultimately learning by observing, much like a human does. “That is a model that can make plans and imagine new experiences by simulating aspects of the world, just like the brain does.” An early, perhaps easily overlooked by those not steeped in foundational AI research, yet significant indicator of this direction is Google DeepMind’s work on models like Genie 2. This research shows how to generate interactive, two-dimensional game environments and playable worlds from varied prompts like images or text. It offers a glimpse at an AI that can simulate and understand dynamic systems. Google demoed a new app called Flow – a drag-and-drop filmmaking canvas that preserves character and camera consistency – that leverages Veo 3, the new model that layers physics-aware video and native audio. To Hassabis, that pairing is early proof that ‘world-model understanding is already leaking into creative tooling.’ For robotics, he separately highlighted the fine-tuned Gemini Robotics model, arguing that ‘AI systems will need world models to operate effectively.” CEO Sundar Pichai reinforced this, citing Project Astra, which “explores the future capabilities of a universal AI assistant that can understand the world around you.” These Astra capabilities, like live video understanding and screen sharing, are now integrated into Gemini Live. Josh Woodward, who leads Google Labs and the Gemini App, detailed the app’s goal to be the “most personal, proactive, and powerful AI assistant.” He showcased how “personal context” (connecting search history, and soon Gmail/Calendar) enables Gemini to anticipate needs, like providing personalized exam quizzes or custom explainer videos using analogies a user understands. This, Woodward emphasized, is “where we’re headed with Gemini,” enabled by the Gemini 2.5 Pro model allowing users to “think things into existence.” Gemini 2.5 Pro with “Deep Think” and the hyper-efficient 2.5 Flash (now with native audio and URL context grounding from Gemini API) form the core intelligence. Google also quietly previewed Gemini Diffusion, signalling its willingness to move beyond pure Transformer stacks when that yields better efficiency or latency. Google’s path to potential leadership – its “end-run” around Microsoft’s enterprise hold – lies in redefining the game with a fundamentally superior, AI-native interaction paradigm. If Google delivers a truly “universal AI assistant” powered by a comprehensive world model, it could become the new indispensable layer – the effective operating system – for how users and businesses interact with technology.
Google’s updates to media apps on Android Auto to allow apps to show different sections in the browsing UI and offer more flexibility in layout to build richer and more complete experiences
Google introduced two new changes to media apps on Android Auto. The first change is to the browsing interface in media apps. The new “SectionedItemTemplate” will allow apps to show different sections in the browsing UI, with Google’s example showing “Recent search” above a list of albums. The other change is the to “MediaPlaybackTemplate,” which is used as the “Now Playing” screen. It appears that Google is going to grant developers more flexibility in layout here, with the demo shown putting the media controls in the bottom right corner instead of the center, and in a different order than usual – although that might become the standard at some point. The UI isn’t drastically different or any harder to understand, but it’s a different layout than we usually see on Android Auto, which is actually a bit refreshing. Google is also allowing developers to build “richer and more complete experiences” for media apps using the “Car App Library.” This could make it easier to navigate some apps, as most media apps on Android Auto are shells of their smartphone counterpart in terms of functionality. This category is just in beta for now, though.
Marqeta plans white label app that will allow customers to establish a track record for card programs without having to embed Marqeta’s solution into its app or website right out the gate
Marqeta has been making moves to add new revenue sources in addition to Jack Dorsey’s Block under the leadership of Mike Milotich. The plan is diversification through growth, a task easier said than done against the backdrop of macroeconomic and regulatory uncertainty. Milotich currently serves as Marqeta’s interim CEO as well as its chief financial officer. Broadly, flexible planning and an emphasis on execution will help Marqeta as an organization reach those goals, he said. The fintech has started planning in quarterly chunks, with mid-quarter check-ins to assess market conditions. Specifically, Marqeta is looking to broaden its customer base with new products, Milotich said, including an expansion into credit card issuing, the addition of more value-added services, such as tokenization and risk services, and new program management services, where Marqeta runs the card program on behalf of the client. “Before, [program management services] used to be more of a bundle, and now we’re breaking them up into more a la carte services, which allows our customers a little more flexibility to pick and choose,” he said. The card issuing fintech is also looking to expand abroad, with its pending acquisition of TransAct Pay, a European-based BIN sponsorship, e-money licensing and virtual account services company that will allow Marqeta to offer more robust card programs to its multinational clients. “Non-Block [total payment volume] saw continued strength and little to no macro-disruption”, Keybanc Capital Markets analyst Alex Markgraff wrote in a research note. “We view the print as generally positive with respect to new-business, non-Block growth, and macro-related resilience to date. Non-Block TPV grew roughly twice as fast as Block.” Block-related revenue was less than half – 45% – of Marqeta’s total revenue at the end of the quarter, down from 74% at the end of 2022. Marqeta’s biggest bets to increase the diversity of its clientele revolve around creating tools that make doing business with the fintech easier. To that end, Marqeta is launching a white label app that will allow customers to stand up a card program without heavy integration, Milotich said. The white label app will allow customers to establish a track record for the card program without having to go through the process of embedding Marqeta’s solution into its app or website right out the gate, The white label app is built with the tools that power its UX Toolkit, a selection of application programming interfaces released in 2024 that are designed to allow customers to more easily embed the card solutions into their app or website. At its core, the white label app is a time-to-market tool.
Wells Fargo’s business data leader stresses the importance of stepping back to assess systemic risk rather than overemphasizing isolated errors in continuous auditing workflows
Nathaniel Bell is the Corporate Functions Business Data Leader at Wells Fargo, where he specializes in optimizing data strategies to support AI initiatives and address organizational challenges. Focusing on bridging infrastructure investments and innovative AI use cases, Nate provides valuable insights into managing risks and aligning AI technologies with business objectives. For his episode in the MindBridge-sponsored series, Nathaniel highlights the ongoing tension in auditing between objectivity and subjectivity. Auditors aim to be objective, but as Nathaniel notes in his podcast appearance, they often work with human-led processes that are inherently subjective, especially when auditors and process owners have different perceptions about what constitutes a risk.
He tells the podcast audience that digital transformation, including AI, can help codify business processes, making them more structured and standardized. The shift will enable auditors to assess risks more objectively and data-driven. For example, if something breaks in a system, it becomes immediately transparent — less open to interpretation:
“I tend to focus on highly manual processes because they represent both risk and opportunity. These processes are not only time-consuming, but they also introduce a significant margin for human error. Research shows that in complex spreadsheets, we typically catch only about 70% of errors — leaving a substantial gap in accuracy and oversight. That’s why I always ask: where can we apply AI to reduce that margin of error and drive more reliable, efficient outcomes?”
Nathaniel also reflects on a common pitfall in audit workflows: getting fixated on a single issue within a process and treating it as a major risk without a broader context. He stresses the importance of stepping back to assess systemic risk rather than overemphasizing isolated errors.
Ultimately, Nathaniel believes auditors should and will spend less time on routine tasks and more time on storytelling as AI-driven automation becomes more commonplace in financial institutions. He sees the future of auditing as a discipline that leverages human talent to connect findings with broader business impact, helping stakeholders understand not just what went wrong but why it matters.
USAA taps Dell’s AI PCs leveraging enterprise-grade discrete neural processing units to provide fast and secure on-device inferencing at the edge for LLMs
Dell Technologies Inc. unveiled Dell Pro and Dell Pro Max, the latest additions to the company’s AI PC lineup. For customers such as United Services Automobile Association, Dell’s AI PC portfolio provides an opportunity to generate productivity boosts and extend AI applications throughout the organization. Dell’s AI PC offerings can facilitate a movement the company is seeing toward building intelligent workflows in-house. “We’re seeing a lot of customers now start to investigate building their own models and their own AI applications, because we’re seeing that’s where a lot of the true value is going to be with AI and the enterprise,” Jon Siegal, senior vice president of Dell portfolio marketing at Dell said. “We’re helping a number of companies out there today, and USAA is one of them, to help build these new AI applications and make sure that when they do it, they can do it once and deploy it across an AI fleet of PCs.” Dell’s new AI PC models leverage neural processing units, accelerators that can optimize AI and machine learning tasks. The Dell Pro Max Plus laptop utilizes an enterprise-grade discrete NPU to provide fast and secure on-device inferencing at the edge for large language models. NPU capabilities for AI PCs are part of what USAA is tracking as it deploys new devices within the company. The deployment of intelligent agents to perform a variety of enterprise tasks will require PCs that can handle a new set of demands that will likely include self-healing, according to Siegal.
Guild Mortgage explore servicing M&A, part of a broader trend toward increased convergence between lenders and servicers
Publicly traded lender Guild Mortgage’s parent company, Bayview Asset Management, and a servicing-related affiliate are in talks about a potential deal. One possible outcome is “the acquisition of all the common stock.” The proposed transaction could be part of a broader trend toward increased convergence between lenders and servicers epitomized by Rocket Mortgage’s plans to buy servicing giant Mr. Cooper. But while Mr. Cooper and Rocket have formally signed an acquisition agreement, Bayview, its servicing affiliate and Guild Holdings said there is no guarantee they will reach a deal. Other potential transactions Bayview and Guild said they have discussed include “asset purchases or other business combinations.” The two also said “a significant minority investment” is possible. Bayview currently holds a 7.3% stake in Guild’s class A common stock. It has less than 1% of the total voting power of Guild’s outstanding common shares. Guild said confirming core details of the securities filing by Bayview and its MSR Opportunity Master Fund that it “will not comment on speculation regarding any potential transaction or its terms.” Given the current composition of the market and rate conditions, some lenders perceive servicing as essential to retaining customers and generating new loans, which may be driving some of the deals between companies with servicing affiliates and lenders.