AI + Brands: February 2025’s Top Stories Shaping the Future of Business

This month’s developments highlight how companies are leveraging AI to enhance customer experiences, streamline operations, and push boundaries in product development and ethics.

1. Amazon Unveils AI-Powered Alexa+ with Enhanced Human-Like Interaction: Amazon's new Alexa+ takes its voice assistant technology to the next level, integrating advanced AI that enables more natural and dynamic interactions, including managing smart home devices, organizing events, and delivering a more personalized user experience. AP News

2. Daily Harvest Implements AI to Enhance Customer Experience and Operations: Daily Harvest is using AI-driven insights to provide tailored product suggestions, automate customer service through chatbots, and optimize logistics and packaging, significantly improving efficiency and customer satisfaction. Business Insider

3. Sony Music Invests in AI Rights Management Startup Vermillio: By investing in Vermillio, Sony Music aims to address complex licensing issues and protect artists' rights as generative AI tools become more prevalent in content creation and distribution. Axios

4. Teleperformance Criticized for Using AI to Alter Call Center Accents: The use of AI to modify accents in real-time has led to criticism of Teleperformance, raising concerns over cultural erasure and the ethical implications of "accent neutralization" technology in customer service. The Times

5. Deutsche Telekom Announces AI Phone with Perplexity Assistant Integration: Deutsche Telekom's upcoming AI Phone, featuring the Perplexity chatbot and Magenta AI, promises to revolutionize mobile interactions by enabling seamless voice-activated bookings, reservations, and other tasks. The Verge

6. Mondelez Utilizes AI to Accelerate Snack Development: With the help of AI, Mondelez is significantly speeding up the creation of new snack products, including a new Gluten-Free Golden Oreo, and gaining a competitive edge in the fast-moving consumer goods sector. NY Post

7. Pizza My Heart Introduces AI Chatbot for Customer Orders: "Jimmy the Surfer," the new AI chatbot from Palona AI, is transforming how Pizza My Heart engages with customers by managing orders through text and enhancing the speed and accuracy of service. Wired

8. BYD Introduces Affordable Vehicles with Advanced AI Features: BYD's integration of DeepSeek AI and the "God's Eye" self-driving technology into even its budget-friendly models is making advanced driver assistance more accessible to a broader market. The Sun

9. Meta Launches New AI Tools for Advertisers: Meta has introduced advanced generative AI tools that allow advertisers to create custom ad content more efficiently, leveraging AI to optimize creative assets and enhance targeting precision. TechCrunch

10. Tesla's AI-Powered Software Update Enhances Autonomous Driving: Tesla has rolled out a new AI-driven software update that improves its Full Self-Driving (FSD) capabilities, focusing on safer urban driving and better handling of complex road scenarios. Engadget

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