What leading publications reported, and the shifts behind each story.
Amazon has opened text ordering via its Alexa for Shopping agent to a small, invite-only group of US customers, with Sponsored Product ads in replies, Digiday reports. Shopping by instruction moves into the message thread, with paid listings inside it.
Prada has launched a ChatGPT plugin that lets users explore the brand through casual conversation, WWD reports. It connects to how luxury houses show up in AI answers, and to brands building their own way into the chat.
Reformation has added an AI-backed planning tool that improves how it evaluates product performance and forecasts demand, its CEO said on an earnings call. It links to AI ordering in retail, where staff decide how far to follow the model.
Google is taking over Crusoe’s Wyoming data centre project after reportedly raising concerns about its cost and construction timeline, TechCrunch reports. It ties to the limits on building AI data centres, where cost and construction time count alongside power supply.
Meta has launched Spaces, a new way to communicate and collaborate with its Muse AI agent, TechCrunch reports. It connects to people moving from doing a task themselves to directing an agent through it.
OpenAI says it will no longer use nondisclosure agreements with public officials, as part of new commitments to the communities where it builds data centres. The terms of AI data centre deals are moving into public view.
Airbnb told investors that specialised AI agents, linked to partners, will book every travel vertical in its app, with a guest agent due in the first half of 2027. Travel sellers want to keep the booking inside their own conversation.
Amazon says Alexa for Shopping now handles more than 100 extra tasks for US customers, from subscriptions and registries to delivery changes and billing questions. The assistant now reaches the chores around an order, not only the buying.
Walmart has added visual recognition, recipe-to-cart and a store-location tool to its Sparky assistant, and is taking it to Mexico and Canada. Sparky is moving from answering questions to building the basket itself.
Perplexity has launched Teammates, AI agents that take on work tasks and run around the clock, following OpenAI’s Dots and Claude Duet. For office work, the job moves from doing a task to directing the agents that do it.
Chime told investors it is building secure links so members can bring their own AI agents and control what those agents do with their money. Who controls an agent’s access to an account is becoming a banking choice.
Aina has shown a smart ring that it pitches as a remote control for a person’s AI agent, Wired reports. The controls for an agent sit on the hand, not on a screen.