Chatbots & Virtual Assistants News - Marketing Tech News

AI drives more rational decision-making, new research shows

David Thomas — Thu, 07 May 2026 09:31:35 +0000

A study by UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School has discovered people tend to see AI as more rational than human decision-making, which, according to respondents, is most influenced by emotion. What makes humans human may just be our downfall. Led by behavioural scientists, Dr Suhas Vijayakumar, Dr Yuna Yang, and Dr David DeFranza, an […]

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Yahoo uses Scout AI campaign to focus on trust in AI search

Muhammad Zulhusni — Thu, 07 May 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Yahoo is using the first ad campaign for Scout, its AI-powered search assistant, to focus on source transparency as AI search tools compete for user attention. Scout was launched in beta in January and is one of Yahoo’s main product priorities this year, according to Chief Marketing Officer Josh Line. The company is using the […]

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Grab uses AI to change how brands are discovered in its app

Muhammad Zulhusni — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Methods used for search and online discovery in Southeast Asia are changing from traditional channels, with platforms like the Grab app playing a growing role. Rather than users typing queries into search engines or scrolling through social media, many are beginning to rely on in-app recommendations to steer their eating habits, where they go, and […]

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LINE’s AI agents point to messaging apps becoming sales channels

Muhammad Zulhusni — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Messaging apps often serve as more than chat tools. In many Asian markets they also support payments and commerce inside the same app. Companies are now beginning to add AI agents to automate customer support and sales within these platforms. That structure has made them an important channel for businesses that want to interact with […]

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Inside Google’s push to blend AI chat and online shopping

Muhammad Zulhusni — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Search and shopping are starting to collapse into the same place, as AI-driven interfaces encourage users to move from questions to purchases without leaving the conversation. Google is now applying that AI-driven shopping approach directly to its search and advertising systems. Instead of moving from a query to a product page to a checkout screen, […]

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Why AI companies want to turn chat apps into shopping helpers

Muhammad Zulhusni — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 10:00:00 +0000

AI companies in the US and China are moving quickly to bring shopping tools into their main consumer apps. Each wants to build an all-purpose service that helps people search, talk, buy, and manage daily tasks from one place. OpenAI has added a new “shopping research” tool to ChatGPT. The feature can pull together buying […]

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Walmart brings AI shopping to ChatGPT

Muhammad Zulhusni — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Walmart is giving online shopping a conversational twist. The retailer’s new partnership with OpenAI lets people buy items directly through the ChatGPT app – turning everyday chats into shopping sessions for meals or personal needs. “For many years now, eCommerce shopping experiences have consisted of a search bar and a long list of item responses,” […]

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Alibaba launches AI agent to speed up online sourcing for merchants

Muhammad Zulhusni — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 09:04:22 +0000

Alibaba International has introduced an AI agent for global trade built on its Accio B2B search engine. Called Accio Agent, the new tool comes after Accio passed two million users and shifts the platform from a search-and-sourcing tool into an AI-driven ‘trade assistant.’ The release follows research from Alibaba International showing that 40% of small […]

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Athena raises $2.2M to track how brands appear in AI responses

Muhammad Zulhusni — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 08:30:00 +0000

Athena, a startup focused on AI-driven search visibility, has launched from stealth with $2.2 million in funding. The round included backing from Y Combinator, FCVC, Red Bike Capital, Amino Capital, and several veterans from the search and SEO space, including Eli Schwartz and Ashley Stirrup. The company is building what it calls a generative engine […]

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Cloudflare launches ‘Pay per Crawl’ to help sites monetise AI access

Muhammad Zulhusni — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 02:44:34 +0000

Cloudflare is testing a new way for websites to charge AI companies that use their content to train models, run inference, or power search. The new feature, called Pay per Crawl, lets website owners set their own terms for how and when AI bots can access their sites. By default, Cloudflare now blocks AI crawlers […]

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