Conversational AI stories

Sapia.ai debuts Phai, an AI chat coach designed to help workers rethink careers, build confidence and navigate changing job markets.

More consumers now treat generative AI as an everyday aide and even a companion, using it for routine decisions despite trust concerns.

Wesfarmers has struck a multi-year deal with Google Cloud to deploy agentic AI across Kmart, Officeworks, Priceline and OnePass stores.

Newo raises USD $25m to grow AI voice agents that answer calls for small businesses, after revenue doubled late 2025 amid rising demand.

Humanix will pitch its human-layer security platform at RSAC 2026’s Innovation Sandbox after landing a Top 10 finalist spot and USD $5 million.

Authentic Interactions recruits Siri and Pluto TV co-founders to guide its push into hyper-realistic ‘digital humans’ for homes and businesses.

Shoppers shun online baskets over high delivery fees and clunky checkouts as retailers plough cash into loyalty schemes and shiny AI tools.

Capita slashes time-to-hire by 43% and speeds HR admin by up to 80% after rolling out Workday AI, HiredScore and Teams integration.

LIV Golf has unveiled Fan Caddie, an AI ‘second-screen’ assistant offering real-time stats, replays and shopping while fans watch live.

New Zealand AI startup Contented raises AUD $4.1m seed round to speed UK and US expansion and triple headcount in coming months.

ORCA Opti touts defensible AI, rapid global expansion and a 2027 IPO as it targets regulated markets and warns most AI startups will fail.

Calero launches AI-powered assistant to give TEM and MEM teams instant, conversational insight from complex telecom and mobility invoices.

Square rolls out free AI assistant in the UK, helping SME owners query their own sales data in plain English to speed up decisions.

Sparq launches Intelligence Studio to plug AI directly into enterprise workflows, promising governed, auditable decisions at scale.

AI shopping assistants win over UK and US consumers, but most abandon tools instantly when product suggestions feel irrelevant or pushy.

Oracle NetSuite unveils NetSuite Next in the UAE, embedding AI assistants, agentic workflows and analytics across its cloud ERP suite.

Global Rev Gen appoints Bosco Anthony as CEO to spearhead national expansion, AI-led products and integrated media, creative and video services.

Hexnode embeds its upgraded Genie AI into the UEM console, letting admins query inventory, execute device commands and automate fixes in chat.

Airwallex launches an AI assistant in its web app, promising to simplify onboarding and day-to-day finance tasks for multi-currency businesses.

Canva integrates with ChatGPT to auto-apply Brand Kits, letting teams generate editable, on-brand designs directly from chat prompts.