Author: Advanced AI Editor
Dive Brief: Children’s apparel company Carter’s reported that its Q1 net sales declined 4.8% year over year to $629.8 million. Its net income decreased nearly 60% to $15.5 million compared to the year-ago quarter, according to a Friday press release. In the U.S., its retail comparable net sales declined 5.2% compared to the previous year. However, its e-commerce sales outperformed its brick-and-mortar business, the company said. Carter’s did not provide 2025 guidance, citing its recent leadership transition and ongoing economic uncertainty stemming from President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The proposed higher tariffs could result in “meaningful increases to our product costs, if not…
Starlink is poised to launch in South Korea this year, pending regulatory approvals, as global demand for low-orbit satellite connectivity surges. On April 27, South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT announced system improvements to facilitate low-orbit satellite communication services like Starlink and the U.K.’s OneWeb. Low-orbit satellites, operating at 300–1,500 km, enable high-speed internet without extensive ground infrastructure, serving remote areas, ships, and airplanes. “If we start domestic services, high-speed Wi-Fi services will be available on airplanes, and we will be able to provide online video services (OTT) and video calls to crews on long-haul ships,” said Minister of…
Listen to the article 3 min This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Dive Brief: Function of Beauty last week launched a core lineup of its hair care products at more than 1,800 Walmart stores and the big-box retailer’s website, according to a company press release emailed to Retail Dive. The 17 SKUs curated for Walmart include Function of Beauty’s top-selling products, such as 11-ounce shampoos and conditioners customized for wavy, curly, straight and coily hair types, which sell for $9.97. Walmart customers will also find the brand’s hair goal booster shots, priced at $3.47,…
Determining how best to incorporate AI in your reporting can be daunting. For journalists and small newsrooms navigating tight deadlines and limited resources, harnessing AI tools to carry out time consuming tasks can be pivotal. For students developing a foundational skill set for future reporting careers, the technology can’t be ignored. Think of AI tools similarly to how you do common applications like Microsoft Excel or Adobe Photoshop: AI can help free up time, which you can in turn dedicate to more in-depth reporting, and more creative writing, visuals and marketing, among other perks. However, a 2024 survey by the…
FILE PHOTO: A smartphone with the PayPal logo is placed on a laptop in this illustration taken on July 14, 2021. Dado Ruvic | ReutersPayPal, Block and Affirm are all closely tied to the health of the consumer, which has investors on edge headed into their earnings reports.Markets broadly have been jittery to start the year due largely to concerns about President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs and the prospect of higher import costs leading to rising unemployment and reduced consumer spending.Specific to e-commerce, there’s the end of de minimis trade exemptions for Chinese imports, effective May 2. That change, aimed at…
Matt Friend performs at a Bilt Neighborhood Comedy night.Photo courtesy of Bilt Rewards Apartment rents keep spiking—a record 22.6 million households are unable to afford payments, and even greater numbers are “rent burdened,” according to the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies. While that’s no laughing matter, Bilt Rewards founder and CEO Ankur Jain says his company’s new Neighborhood Comedy Series can ease the pain—through hilarity and by offering rewards for paying monthly rent. Launched in late 2024, the series, exclusive to Bilt members, is part of the company’s Neighborhood Benefits program. Bilt Rewards is a payments and loyalty company…
Researchers from the Center for AI Safety (CAIS), MIT’s Media Lab, the Brazilian university UFABC, and the pandemic prevention non-profit SecureBio have found that leading artificial intelligence models can outperform experienced, PhD-level virologists in troubleshooting complex laboratory procedures. The findings, detailed in a new study introducing the Virology Capabilities Test (VCT), demonstrate AI’s proficiency in specialized scientific tasks but also highlight serious dual-use concerns, suggesting these tools could lower the barrier for creating dangerous biological agents. The VCT benchmark, consisting of 322 questions and detailed further in its research paper, was designed specifically to measure an AI’s ability to assist…
Listen to the article 4 min This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Dive Brief: Consumer expectations, slammed by high tariffs, fell 32% this year through April in the sharpest drop since the 1990 recession, while expectations for inflation in a year rose from 5% last month to 6.5%, the highest level since double-digit inflation in 1981, the University of Michigan said Friday. The Consumer Sentiment Index plunged 8% this month from March, and expectations for inflation in five to 10 years — a key concern for the Federal Reserve — rose to 4.4% in…
Listen to the article 3 min This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Dive Brief: Dive Insight: The latest executive change at Dollar Tree comes amid a period of transformation for the value-focused company. Longtime Walgreens executive Roxanne Weng plans to focus on reliable inventory availability in stores. Courtesy of Dollar Tree “With three decades of distinguished leadership across supply chain strategy, logistics optimization, and distribution network management, her proven expertise aligns perfectly with the Dollar Tree growth trajectory,” Chief Executive Officer Mike Creedon said in a statement regarding Weng’s appointment. Weng said in…
Google uses its search engine data and signals to help train its Gemini AI models, we learned from documents from the DOJ deposition testimony. Although, we kind of knew that when Google launched SGE, they told us they used Google Search’s core ranking systems to help identify high-quality sites (although, it didn’t seem like they did…).This was written by The Information, which is paywalled, but Glenn Gabe quote it and posted it on X – he said:Deposition testimony from a Google engineer. Check the part about search signals and upweighting authoritative pages. Also, AIO model training -> Google Used Search…