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Gustavo Petro had earlier accused administration of murder over its attacks on vessels in the CaribbeanView the full article

Salesforce is making waves in the tech landscape with its recent announcement of acquiring Apromore, a prominent provider of process intelligence software. This strategic move is expected to significantly enhance Salesforce’s capabilities, particularly in the realm of agentic process automation—an area that can greatly benefit small businesses eager to optimize their operations. With Apromore’s advanced technology integrated into the Salesforce platform, small business owners can anticipate a transformative impact on how they manage their processes. “Apromore gives customers the end-to-end visibility they need to understand how their business truly operates,” stated Steve Fisher, President and Chief Product Officer at Salesforce. This underscores the importance of clarity in business operations, especially for smaller enterprises often navigating limited resources. The incorporation of Apromore’s tools provides several key advantages. First, it offers end-to-end process visibility, allowing businesses to understand how data flows across various systems, including those external to Salesforce. This comprehensive view helps reduce operational blind spots—areas that can lead to inefficiencies and missed opportunities. Small business owners can harness this insight to better align their strategies and bolster productivity. Moreover, the foundation for agentic automation becomes even more robust with this acquisition. Apromore’s features enable businesses to map their workflows and identify areas ripe for automation. For small businesses, automating repetitive tasks can save time and reduce human error, creating a more streamlined operation that enables teams to focus on strategic initiatives. Additionally, small businesses will benefit from Apromore’s analytic capabilities that allow them to measure and optimize performance continuously. Tools such as Process & Task Mining, Digital Twins, and Root-Cause Analysis facilitate a proactive approach to identifying inefficiencies. These features encourage small business owners to simulate changes and predict outcomes before implementing them, reducing the risk associated with modifications to processes that could otherwise disrupt operations. Marcello La Rosa, CEO and Co-Founder of Apromore, highlights the shared vision between the two companies: “For over a decade, we have been dedicated to democratizing process intelligence through cutting-edge research. Joining Salesforce is the ultimate acceleration of that vision.” This partnership signifies a commitment to making sophisticated process optimizations available not just to large enterprises but also to smaller companies looking to scale and improve operational efficiency. However, the acquisition does present potential challenges. Integrating a new technology can involve a learning curve, and small business owners may need to invest time and resources to adapt their teams to the enhanced capabilities in the Salesforce ecosystem. Additionally, while the promise of automation is enticing, it requires critical evaluation to determine which aspects of the business will benefit most. Importantly, the acquisition is expected to close in the fourth quarter of Salesforce’s fiscal year 2026, pending customary conditions. Small businesses interested in adopting these new features will need to keep an eye on the integration timeline and consider how they can prepare for these advancements. For small businesses looking to enhance their operational agility, the acquisition of Apromore by Salesforce should be seen as a significant opportunity. The tools and insights offered through this enhanced platform can empower owners to not only optimize their existing processes but also innovate and adapt in a fast-paced market. As Salesforce and Apromore move forward together, the landscape for small business process management is set to evolve dramatically. With the right approach to implementing these technologies, small businesses can achieve new levels of efficiency and effectiveness. To learn more about this development, you can view the original press release here. Image via Salesforce This article, "Salesforce Enhances Process Automation with Apromore Acquisition" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Salesforce is making waves in the tech landscape with its recent announcement of acquiring Apromore, a prominent provider of process intelligence software. This strategic move is expected to significantly enhance Salesforce’s capabilities, particularly in the realm of agentic process automation—an area that can greatly benefit small businesses eager to optimize their operations. With Apromore’s advanced technology integrated into the Salesforce platform, small business owners can anticipate a transformative impact on how they manage their processes. “Apromore gives customers the end-to-end visibility they need to understand how their business truly operates,” stated Steve Fisher, President and Chief Product Officer at Salesforce. This underscores the importance of clarity in business operations, especially for smaller enterprises often navigating limited resources. The incorporation of Apromore’s tools provides several key advantages. First, it offers end-to-end process visibility, allowing businesses to understand how data flows across various systems, including those external to Salesforce. This comprehensive view helps reduce operational blind spots—areas that can lead to inefficiencies and missed opportunities. Small business owners can harness this insight to better align their strategies and bolster productivity. Moreover, the foundation for agentic automation becomes even more robust with this acquisition. Apromore’s features enable businesses to map their workflows and identify areas ripe for automation. For small businesses, automating repetitive tasks can save time and reduce human error, creating a more streamlined operation that enables teams to focus on strategic initiatives. Additionally, small businesses will benefit from Apromore’s analytic capabilities that allow them to measure and optimize performance continuously. Tools such as Process & Task Mining, Digital Twins, and Root-Cause Analysis facilitate a proactive approach to identifying inefficiencies. These features encourage small business owners to simulate changes and predict outcomes before implementing them, reducing the risk associated with modifications to processes that could otherwise disrupt operations. Marcello La Rosa, CEO and Co-Founder of Apromore, highlights the shared vision between the two companies: “For over a decade, we have been dedicated to democratizing process intelligence through cutting-edge research. Joining Salesforce is the ultimate acceleration of that vision.” This partnership signifies a commitment to making sophisticated process optimizations available not just to large enterprises but also to smaller companies looking to scale and improve operational efficiency. However, the acquisition does present potential challenges. Integrating a new technology can involve a learning curve, and small business owners may need to invest time and resources to adapt their teams to the enhanced capabilities in the Salesforce ecosystem. Additionally, while the promise of automation is enticing, it requires critical evaluation to determine which aspects of the business will benefit most. Importantly, the acquisition is expected to close in the fourth quarter of Salesforce’s fiscal year 2026, pending customary conditions. Small businesses interested in adopting these new features will need to keep an eye on the integration timeline and consider how they can prepare for these advancements. For small businesses looking to enhance their operational agility, the acquisition of Apromore by Salesforce should be seen as a significant opportunity. The tools and insights offered through this enhanced platform can empower owners to not only optimize their existing processes but also innovate and adapt in a fast-paced market. As Salesforce and Apromore move forward together, the landscape for small business process management is set to evolve dramatically. With the right approach to implementing these technologies, small businesses can achieve new levels of efficiency and effectiveness. To learn more about this development, you can view the original press release here. Image via Salesforce This article, "Salesforce Enhances Process Automation with Apromore Acquisition" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Artificial intelligence will affect talent at multiple levels. By Allan Koltin The Rosenberg Survey Go PRO for members-only access to more Allan D. Koltin. View the full article

Artificial intelligence will affect talent at multiple levels. By Allan Koltin The Rosenberg Survey Go PRO for members-only access to more Allan D. Koltin. View the full article

Think about a return on relationships. By Rory Henry The Holistic Guide to Wealth Management Go PRO for members-only access to more Rory Henry. View the full article

Think about a return on relationships. By Rory Henry The Holistic Guide to Wealth Management Go PRO for members-only access to more Rory Henry. View the full article

In a world where artificial intelligence (AI) tools often function like inexperienced interns—requiring constant oversight and with limited capabilities—HubSpot is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with its new Breeze Agents. Designed to seamlessly integrate into your existing workflows and powered by unified customer data, these AI teammates are set to significantly enhance small business operations. At the Fall 2025 Spotlight, HubSpot unveiled over 20 new Breeze Agents and Assistants, poised to act as capable digital coworkers. These sophisticated AI solutions promise to handle a variety of tasks—from prospecting and customer communication to research and data management—thereby freeing up small business owners and their teams to focus on strategic initiatives. Breeze Agents stand out for their embedded functionality, allowing them to work autonomously within the context of your business. HubSpot’s Vice President of Product, who spoke during the launch, stated, “Breeze Agents are designed to understand your business inside and out, enabling them to tackle workflows effectively.” This represents a substantial leap forward in terms of productivity and efficiency, especially for small businesses that often juggle limited resources. Key Benefits of Breeze Agents One significant advantage is the capacity of Breeze Agents to handle entire workflows. For instance, the Data Agent can analyze customer data, CRM records, call recordings, and even external web sources to provide in-depth research. This is particularly useful for small business owners who may lack the manpower to sift through data effectively. The Customer Agent serves as an AI concierge, addressing customer inquiries, qualifying leads, and resolving issues. With the ability to resolve over 65% of conversations automatically, it not only enhances customer service but could also lead to significant cost savings on hiring staff for these roles. Another noteworthy agent, the Prospecting Agent, behaves like a dedicated sales development representative. It monitors buyer signals, conducts research on target accounts, and initiates personalized outreach. This feature could prove invaluable for small businesses looking to optimize their sales funnel. Breeze Assistants complement the agents by working alongside teams in various environments, including HubSpot, web browsers, and a newly introduced mobile app. They help prepare for meetings, create content that aligns with brand voice, and conduct necessary research—all tailored to your unique business needs. Real-World Applications Small business owners can apply these Breeze Agents in practical ways. For example, a local service provider may use the Customer Agent to field inquiries and process bookings, thereby streamlining operational efficiency. Marketing teams can leverage the Blog Research Agent to explore trending topics and enhance content strategy, allowing them to maintain a more robust online presence without dedicating excessive manpower. Furthermore, Breeze Marketplace and Breeze Studio offer a centralized resource for businesses to discover and customize agents tailored to specific needs. As HubSpot stated in their press release, “Discover, browse, and install over 20 HubSpot-built agents and assistants designed for marketing, sales, and service teams.” This customization allows for a more effective alignment with business processes and goals. Challenges to Consider For all the benefits, small business owners should approach the adoption of these technologies thoughtfully. Integration may require time and effort, especially in training the AI systems to correctly interpret and execute workflows based on specific business practices. Additionally, there might be a learning curve involved for teams getting accustomed to working alongside AI. Data privacy and compliance are also critical considerations. Owners must ensure that customer data used by these agents aligns with legal standards and ethical practices. Clear guidelines and effective training will be essential to address these concerns comprehensively. As small businesses strive to remain competitive, embracing innovative technologies like HubSpot’s Breeze Agents could greatly enhance their operational capabilities. Small business owners now have access to an AI workforce that understands their unique needs and goals, providing a significant opportunity for growth and increased efficiency. For a deeper dive into how HubSpot’s Breeze agents and assistants can transform your business operations, check out the full announcement at HubSpot. Image via Hubspot This article, "HubSpot Unveils AI Teammates to Transform Business Workflows" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

In a world where artificial intelligence (AI) tools often function like inexperienced interns—requiring constant oversight and with limited capabilities—HubSpot is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with its new Breeze Agents. Designed to seamlessly integrate into your existing workflows and powered by unified customer data, these AI teammates are set to significantly enhance small business operations. At the Fall 2025 Spotlight, HubSpot unveiled over 20 new Breeze Agents and Assistants, poised to act as capable digital coworkers. These sophisticated AI solutions promise to handle a variety of tasks—from prospecting and customer communication to research and data management—thereby freeing up small business owners and their teams to focus on strategic initiatives. Breeze Agents stand out for their embedded functionality, allowing them to work autonomously within the context of your business. HubSpot’s Vice President of Product, who spoke during the launch, stated, “Breeze Agents are designed to understand your business inside and out, enabling them to tackle workflows effectively.” This represents a substantial leap forward in terms of productivity and efficiency, especially for small businesses that often juggle limited resources. Key Benefits of Breeze Agents One significant advantage is the capacity of Breeze Agents to handle entire workflows. For instance, the Data Agent can analyze customer data, CRM records, call recordings, and even external web sources to provide in-depth research. This is particularly useful for small business owners who may lack the manpower to sift through data effectively. The Customer Agent serves as an AI concierge, addressing customer inquiries, qualifying leads, and resolving issues. With the ability to resolve over 65% of conversations automatically, it not only enhances customer service but could also lead to significant cost savings on hiring staff for these roles. Another noteworthy agent, the Prospecting Agent, behaves like a dedicated sales development representative. It monitors buyer signals, conducts research on target accounts, and initiates personalized outreach. This feature could prove invaluable for small businesses looking to optimize their sales funnel. Breeze Assistants complement the agents by working alongside teams in various environments, including HubSpot, web browsers, and a newly introduced mobile app. They help prepare for meetings, create content that aligns with brand voice, and conduct necessary research—all tailored to your unique business needs. Real-World Applications Small business owners can apply these Breeze Agents in practical ways. For example, a local service provider may use the Customer Agent to field inquiries and process bookings, thereby streamlining operational efficiency. Marketing teams can leverage the Blog Research Agent to explore trending topics and enhance content strategy, allowing them to maintain a more robust online presence without dedicating excessive manpower. Furthermore, Breeze Marketplace and Breeze Studio offer a centralized resource for businesses to discover and customize agents tailored to specific needs. As HubSpot stated in their press release, “Discover, browse, and install over 20 HubSpot-built agents and assistants designed for marketing, sales, and service teams.” This customization allows for a more effective alignment with business processes and goals. Challenges to Consider For all the benefits, small business owners should approach the adoption of these technologies thoughtfully. Integration may require time and effort, especially in training the AI systems to correctly interpret and execute workflows based on specific business practices. Additionally, there might be a learning curve involved for teams getting accustomed to working alongside AI. Data privacy and compliance are also critical considerations. Owners must ensure that customer data used by these agents aligns with legal standards and ethical practices. Clear guidelines and effective training will be essential to address these concerns comprehensively. As small businesses strive to remain competitive, embracing innovative technologies like HubSpot’s Breeze Agents could greatly enhance their operational capabilities. Small business owners now have access to an AI workforce that understands their unique needs and goals, providing a significant opportunity for growth and increased efficiency. For a deeper dive into how HubSpot’s Breeze agents and assistants can transform your business operations, check out the full announcement at HubSpot. Image via Hubspot This article, "HubSpot Unveils AI Teammates to Transform Business Workflows" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

“You need to think more strategically; you need to be more strategic!” It’s one of the most common, but least helpful, pieces of feedback professionals receive. It sounds smart, it sounds wise, it also sounds important. But ask people what it actually means, including those who are proffering this advice, and you’ll likely get many different answers. I’ve spent more than two decades working with leaders, entrepreneurs, and teams around the world to help them become more strategic in how they think, act and make decisions. Along the way, I’ve seen the same frustration crop up over and over again: people know strategy matters but don’t know how to “do” it. The good news? Strategy—and being strategic—isn’t a mysterious skill reserved for those sitting around the boardroom or graduating from business school. It’s a learnable set of practices that anyone can develop and apply to have more impact, both in their work and in their lives more broadly. Strategy isn’t a document—it’s a mindset Many picture strategy as a dense presentation or abstract five-year plan. At its core, though, strategy is about making meaningful choices. It requires zooming out to see different perspectives, managing complexity and uncertainty, deciding what matters most, and aligning actions accordingly. Strategy is both a skill and a mindset—a lens and a habit. It’s a way of scanning your environment with curiosity, noticing what you see—and don’t see—and choosing where to focus limited time, energy, and resources. Three myths of strategy Myth 1: Strategy is for senior leaders only Many scaling the career ladder will put off learning about strategy until they’re at the top. By then, it’s often too late. You will get passed up on that promotion or job offer, or you will quickly come unstuck when tasked with “developing the strategy for market X and service Y.” The earlier you develop your strategic muscles, the more choices you’ll have, the better the decisions you’ll make and greater impact you’ll have. Myth 2: Strategy requires a genius IQ Many of the most strategically effective people I’ve worked with aren’t the most qualified, or necessarily the most academically accomplished. Instead, they’re curious, they listen deeply, and they are genuinely collaborative. They spot opportunities and connect dots others don’t see. Rather than IQ points, strategy is about awareness, asking questions to foster more informed responses, connecting intentions to outcomes, making meaningful choices—and practice. Myth 3: Strategy is about predicting the future It’s tempting to think that great strategy is about making accurate predictions and perfect forecasts. In reality, it’s about navigating uncertainty. It’s learning how to make robust decisions and committing to action even when the path ahead is foggy—or worse. So what does being strategic actually look like? Here’s what I’ve learned from thousands of conversations across my career: being strategic is about three intertwined disciplines and their related habits: awareness, curiosity, and intentionality. Awareness: Understand your context. Who are the stakeholders? What’s changing, and how quickly? Where are the hidden pressures and opportunities? Curiosity: Don’t just accept the first answer or the obvious explanation. Probe. Challenge. Listen carefully. Invite feedback. Connect ideas across boundaries. Intentionality: Make clear, meaningful choices. Set priorities. Decide not only what to do but also what not to do—and commit. These habits don’t just apply to leadership roles. They apply to your own career decisions, your relationships, and even your personal goals. Why being strategic matters for your well-being There’s another reason to master strategy: it reduces overwhelm. In a world of endless notifications, shifting priorities, and constant change, it’s easy to stay in a near constant reactive mode. Being strategic gives you back a sense of agency. When you think strategically, you stop confusing activity with impact. You say no more often. You’re comfortable with ambiguity, and you’re OK not having all the answers. This isn’t just good for business, it’s good for your health and well-being. How to start being more strategic today Here are three simple things you can do this week to build your strategic muscle: Zoom out before you zoom in. Before your next meeting or decision, take five minutes to sketch the bigger picture: What’s really at stake? Who wins and who loses? What are the potential consequences? What’s the longer-term impact? Ask better questions. Instead of “What should we do?” try reframing the situation: “What problem are we really trying to solve?” “What would success look like in 12 months—and how would we measure it?” “What assumptions are we making, and what if they’re wrong?” “What if we do nothing?” Block thinking time. Schedule a recurring appointment with yourself, even just 20–30 minutes, to reflect, scan for patterns, and where necessary, reprioritize. Treat it like an immovable meeting with your future self. These small shifts compound. Over time, you’ll notice you’re less reactive, clearer and more confident, and better able to influence outcomes. People will start to seek your perspective not just on the task at hand but on the more strategic, longer-term issues and opportunities. Strategy decoded—for everyone Strategy, decoded, is simply this: the skill of making better choices under uncertainty—choices that align with your goals, your values (and those of your team and organization), and the impact you want to have. It’s a set of skills and mindsets anyone can learn and develop, at any stage of their career. And once you start practicing it, you’ll see the benefits everywhere—at work, at home, and in your own sense of clarity, control, and confidence. My invitation to you is simple: treat “being strategic” as a daily practice, not a distant aspiration or a skill reserved for other people. Start with self-awareness, curiosity, and intentionality. Because strategy isn’t a secret. It’s a way of showing up in the world—and it’s available to you today. View the full article

In today’s fast-paced business world, small companies often find themselves drowning in IT-related tasks that divert valuable resources from core activities. Salesforce’s latest announcement, the Agentforce IT Service, aims to rescue organizations from this cycle of inefficiency by streamlining IT service management through autonomous AI capabilities and a user-friendly interface. Small business owners feel the strain when employees lose an average of 352 hours each year dealing with IT issues—time that could be spent driving growth and innovation. As Salesforce emphasizes, the traditional ticket-based IT Service Management (ITSM) model is not only outdated but also burdensome. “The fragmented, legacy ITSM model is fundamentally broken,” states Muddu Sudhakar, SVP & GM, IT & HR Service at Salesforce. With Agentforce, Salesforce is ushering in a new, agent-first approach, which promises to shift the interaction from a slow, reclusive ticketing system to an efficient, conversational model directly integrated into workplaces. One key benefit of this new service is enhanced productivity. By allowing IT support to occur in real-time, directly in environments like Slack or Microsoft Teams, Agentforce minimizes the need for cumbersome forms and portals. This immediacy translates to faster issue resolution, empowering teams to reclaim valuable hours. “This agentic shift delivers trusted, embedded intelligence that makes IT teams exponentially more efficient,” Sudhakar adds. Agentforce isn’t just a theory; several organizations are already reaping its benefits. UNESCO, for instance, has leveraged the service to enhance both employee experience and IT team effectiveness. Omar Baig, Chief Information and Technology Officer at UNESCO, noted, “By using agentic AI to resolve routine IT tasks and improve IT teams’ efficiency, our employees can focus on the higher-priority work serving both UNESCO Secretariat and Member States.” For small businesses, the immediate implications are powerful. The ability to automate routine inquiries—like determining eligibility for equipment updates or resolving connectivity issues—can significantly reduce the workload on IT staff, allowing them to focus on strategic projects that add value to the business. EPB, a municipality-run utility in Tennessee, echoed this sentiment. Rich Carpenter, VP of Communications and Operations, stated, “By bringing automation and intelligence into our workflows, we can resolve issues faster and give our IT team more time to focus on complex, high-value work.” Another compelling feature of Agentforce is its vast library of integrations—over 100 pre-built connectors are available at launch, encompassing popular platforms like Google, IBM, Microsoft, and Zoom. This extensive integration network simplifies the IT landscape, allowing teams to seamlessly adopt the new tools without the headaches of costly data fragmentation or installation hurdles. Yet, while the benefits are substantial, small business owners should remain cautious of potential challenges. Transitioning to a new system, even one as streamlined as Agentforce, could impose initial learning curves and temporary disruptions during the setup phase. Moreover, investing in new technology requires not only financial resources but also time and training, which can strain limited small business capacities. Salesforce aims to mitigate these concerns with their comprehensive support and user training initiatives. Their platform reflects two decades of experience, allowing smaller enterprises to adopt solutions that previously seemed accessible only to larger firms. The Agentforce IT Service is set for general availability in October 2025, while components like employee agents and Slack integration are already operational. By placing a strong emphasis on reducing operational costs while enhancing productivity and employee satisfaction, Salesforce’s announcement signifies a paradigm shift in the way IT support is delivered, especially for small businesses that can benefit from increased efficiency without sacrificing quality. As small businesses navigate these changing landscapes, adoption of an integrated IT service like Agentforce could be a game-changer, paving the way for smoother operations and ultimately, stronger business growth. For more information, you can read the full announcement on Salesforce’s official news page here. Image via Salesforce This article, "Salesforce Unveils Agentforce IT Service, Revolutionizing Employee Support with AI" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

In today’s fast-paced business world, small companies often find themselves drowning in IT-related tasks that divert valuable resources from core activities. Salesforce’s latest announcement, the Agentforce IT Service, aims to rescue organizations from this cycle of inefficiency by streamlining IT service management through autonomous AI capabilities and a user-friendly interface. Small business owners feel the strain when employees lose an average of 352 hours each year dealing with IT issues—time that could be spent driving growth and innovation. As Salesforce emphasizes, the traditional ticket-based IT Service Management (ITSM) model is not only outdated but also burdensome. “The fragmented, legacy ITSM model is fundamentally broken,” states Muddu Sudhakar, SVP & GM, IT & HR Service at Salesforce. With Agentforce, Salesforce is ushering in a new, agent-first approach, which promises to shift the interaction from a slow, reclusive ticketing system to an efficient, conversational model directly integrated into workplaces. One key benefit of this new service is enhanced productivity. By allowing IT support to occur in real-time, directly in environments like Slack or Microsoft Teams, Agentforce minimizes the need for cumbersome forms and portals. This immediacy translates to faster issue resolution, empowering teams to reclaim valuable hours. “This agentic shift delivers trusted, embedded intelligence that makes IT teams exponentially more efficient,” Sudhakar adds. Agentforce isn’t just a theory; several organizations are already reaping its benefits. UNESCO, for instance, has leveraged the service to enhance both employee experience and IT team effectiveness. Omar Baig, Chief Information and Technology Officer at UNESCO, noted, “By using agentic AI to resolve routine IT tasks and improve IT teams’ efficiency, our employees can focus on the higher-priority work serving both UNESCO Secretariat and Member States.” For small businesses, the immediate implications are powerful. The ability to automate routine inquiries—like determining eligibility for equipment updates or resolving connectivity issues—can significantly reduce the workload on IT staff, allowing them to focus on strategic projects that add value to the business. EPB, a municipality-run utility in Tennessee, echoed this sentiment. Rich Carpenter, VP of Communications and Operations, stated, “By bringing automation and intelligence into our workflows, we can resolve issues faster and give our IT team more time to focus on complex, high-value work.” Another compelling feature of Agentforce is its vast library of integrations—over 100 pre-built connectors are available at launch, encompassing popular platforms like Google, IBM, Microsoft, and Zoom. This extensive integration network simplifies the IT landscape, allowing teams to seamlessly adopt the new tools without the headaches of costly data fragmentation or installation hurdles. Yet, while the benefits are substantial, small business owners should remain cautious of potential challenges. Transitioning to a new system, even one as streamlined as Agentforce, could impose initial learning curves and temporary disruptions during the setup phase. Moreover, investing in new technology requires not only financial resources but also time and training, which can strain limited small business capacities. Salesforce aims to mitigate these concerns with their comprehensive support and user training initiatives. Their platform reflects two decades of experience, allowing smaller enterprises to adopt solutions that previously seemed accessible only to larger firms. The Agentforce IT Service is set for general availability in October 2025, while components like employee agents and Slack integration are already operational. By placing a strong emphasis on reducing operational costs while enhancing productivity and employee satisfaction, Salesforce’s announcement signifies a paradigm shift in the way IT support is delivered, especially for small businesses that can benefit from increased efficiency without sacrificing quality. As small businesses navigate these changing landscapes, adoption of an integrated IT service like Agentforce could be a game-changer, paving the way for smoother operations and ultimately, stronger business growth. For more information, you can read the full announcement on Salesforce’s official news page here. Image via Salesforce This article, "Salesforce Unveils Agentforce IT Service, Revolutionizing Employee Support with AI" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

China’s critical minerals chokepoint has been hiding in plain sight for decadesView the full article

There may have been another unconfirmed Google search ranking update that occurred between October 15th and October 18th. The bulk of the volatility seemed to be around Thursday, the 16th.View the full article

Minister says the government must act to tackle the country’s ‘affordability crisis’View the full article

Industrial policy has delivered impressive technological gains without productivity growthView the full article

Raising gambling tax could put 7,500 jobs at risk, warns chairView the full article

Paris museum closed for the day after successful heist of Galerie d’Apollon, which houses royal collectionView the full article

The Madagascar protests highlight the powers and flaws of youth seeking a quick fixView the full article

David Temkin was driving south from San Francisco, down Highway 101, as billboard after billboard pitched AI in variations of dense word salad. One ad marketed “automated testing compliance done without command shift.” Another promised “safer schools with instant visitors screening.” All of them marketed tech companies, but to whom and for what was obscure—even for tech insiders like Temkin. “It is absolutely absurd,” Temkin tells Fast Company. “Some of these are absolutely impenetrable. Like, what are they even talking about? It makes me wonder what the intention is.” The Silicon Valley veteran has lived through plenty of change, watching firsthand as the tech world evolved from a niche for nerds into a cultural force with global influence both online and offline. Since arriving in the 1990s as a young software engineer, he’s founded several startups and worked within established tech players like Apple, Google, and AOL. Temkin is refreshingly self-aware about the industry he’s helped build. He’s also the cofounder of In Formation, a satirical print magazine about Silicon Valley’s self-importance, which published its first two issues in 1998 and 2000. Now, a quarter-century later, it’s back with a familiar tone but an updated set of ideas about everything from data privacy and artificial intelligence to biotech. “We were looking at this and realized it just absolutely needed to be mocked, scrutinized, and kind of looked at in a sideways manner,” he says. “My own thinking was this is both actually hilarious and kind of slightly ominous at the same time.” The third issue, published in August, has 150 pages of articles, essays, comics, jokes, and even fake ads. The magazine recently expanded distribution via a new deal with Barnes & Noble, selling for around $20 in more than 500 stores across the country. In Formation’s tagline still reads like an evergreen epigram on the dark side of innovation: “Every day, computers are making people easier to use.” In the late ’90s, it was a clever twist on Silicon Valley’s UX obsession. Now, it feels eerily prescient, anticipating two decades of how digital design has shaped attention, beliefs, and behavior—from social media to today’s era of AI. Full circle The new nationwide bookstore rollout also represents something of a full-circle moment. In 1999, In Formation’s first issue was pulled from CompUSA’s shelves for reportedly failing to fit with the now-defunct retailer’s “corporate image,” according to a Wired magazine article from the dot-com era. Tech has changed a lot since the 1990s. Back then, the industry was still a niche space for a “bunch of geeks making a bunch of products” they hoped would succeed. At the time, tech reporting was still relatively scant. The first two issues of In Formation turned out to be alarmingly accurate—including articles about internet cookies and tracking cellphones and browsers, and a 2000 piece joking about future cashless societies. Now, the question is, how true will this third issue ring in another 25 years. “We’re in a moment where tech is promising to change the deepest aspects of both what it means to be human and what is real,” Temkin says. The magazine itself is split into four themed sections. “The Panopticon” covers various aspects of data privacy, content moderation, and tech regulations. “Peak Valley” provides cultural commentary—such as a piece about the evolution of tech bro fashion, Silicon Valley culture like crypto and biohacking, AI copyright debates, and even a lengthy short story comic. “Apocalypse Now-ish” delves into the existential angst of AI, such as hallucinations, consciousness, and AI-enabled healthcare. And “Receding Reality” explores the blurring reality between the digital and physical world—including the impact of the iPhone, AI rom-coms, and social media addiction. (Not) drinking the Kool-Aid Instead of selling ad space, In Formation filled its pages with parodies. An early page resembles the ubiquitous cookie-consent banner. One “ad” is for a smart speaker called The Problematic, which looks like an Amazon Echo and corrects “problematic language.” Another ad for Voyeur Vehicle Analytic Service appears adjacent to an article by a privacy expert detailing what he learned about all the data Toyota reportedly collects from his car. Another fake ad is for a CVS-branded “Self-Censorship Test Kit.” The only real ad is for Espolòn, a tequila brand, which appears on the back cover. The ads were designed by Brian Maggi, a user-interface designer who worked on ’90s-era Apple products like the original iMac and Newton during the Steve Jobs era. Maggi said humor helps people see what’s wrong with parts of tech in a fresh way. “It might be good to know, too, that there are some of us on the inside that aren’t drinking the Kool-Aid,” says Maggi, who has co-founded several startups, adding that the magazine is also full of Easter eggs for insiders. The print magazine’s design was influenced by digital UX pattern principles, patterns, and methods usually applied to organizing content in mobile apps—such as flow, discovery, and dwell time. Josh Kleiner, who led design for the issue, says the team wanted readers to get lost in the print magazine and be able to flip through it easily. They also added other quirks of digital design, like tracking sections based on the numbers of pages and words per page. “The joke was that we were doing such clean grids, you could code on them. And then we just messed with them,” Kleiner says. “We kept things weird, doing things you wouldn’t traditionally do in print, like overlapping text and images in a certain way.” Despite the project’s tech-savvy staff, Temkin and others say the project, which started in 2023, didn’t use generative AI as much as one might expect—other than for some help editing or tweaking some of the images. One of the few instances of AI-generated text includes blurbs about the magazine from ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, after Temkin uploaded the magazine and instructed each chatbot to “create a smackdown in the form of a tweet.” A frictionless world Over the past 25 years, Temkin argues Silicon Valley’s mission has been overachieved to the point where technology has become so frictionless that it’s now addictive. While he notes that there are plenty of ways tech is helping people, he said today’s landscape presents a different kind of inflection point. He also notes that writing about tech’s harms is far too often either done in an “unsophisticated or reflexive way” or focused on AI’s “corporate horse race.” One of the new writers for the issue is Jon Callas, a renowned cryptographer and privacy advocate who has led security efforts at Apple, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and elsewhere. Callas, who wrote a piece about data privacy 25 years after the last issue, doesn’t think the future of tech will be as good as people claim, but also not as bad as some think. “It’s difficult to have a real conversation about whether or not something is good or bad based upon either extreme,” he says. “It really is like the old saying about averages—where if you have one foot in a bucket of boiling water and one foot in a bucket of ice water, on average you’re comfortable.” View the full article

Israeli military launched air strikes in south of enclave after Palestinian militants attacked forces in the areaView the full article

Except for the skeletons of demolished buildings or the occasional new construction site, the Pacific Palisades—the wealthy, elevated coastal enclave of Los Angeles that was consumed by wildfires in January—remains mostly blank. Much of the wreckage, rubble, soil, and plant life has been scrapped and removed by the Army Corp of Engineers. Trees are among the few elements of the area that remain as they were, remnants of the community’s long obsession with them, including famous residents like Abbot Kinney and Will Rogers. In a landscape now devoid of landmarks, such survivors (roughly 75% of street trees made it through the fire) tell a story and connect residents to the past. “I would fill up every water bottle I had and drive an hour back to the Palisades and water the jacaranda trees in my yard,” said Vicki Warren, board secretary of the Palisades Forestry Committee, of her effort to care for the grand, purple-flowered trees in her yard. “People are doing things like that, because it’s such a healing thing to take care of a living thing near your home.” For many Palisades residents, the landscape has also become a flashpoint around larger questions of rebuilding and resiliency. In community meetings, many residents have pushed back against proposals to mandate more fire-resilient yards. They’re especially opposed to a concept called Zone Zero, which would mandate creating an ember-resistant, noncombustible barrier around homes that would require clearing out a large number of plants and trees (including, in some cases, those trees that survived the blaze). Supported by state fire officials and the insurance industry, Zone Zero is a concept being embraced by the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, which has sped up the process of drafting a Zone Zero regulation for high-fire-risk areas. Governor Gavin Newsom signed a declaration in February seeking to expedite the process and create rules by the end of the year. Regulatory tension The battle over rebuilding and replanting to mimic pre-fire designs has become a growing issue in the Pacific Palisades, Altadena, and other high-risk areas in Los Angeles County. Some residents who became accustomed to dense foliage, lush yards, and the privacy that such plantings bestowed, fear efforts to regulate landscaping to the degree the government is proposing. In a statement last month, Traci Park, the L.A. city councilmember whose district includes the Palisades, characterized the “one-size-fits-all regulations” as “overly burdensome” and “built on incomplete science applied without local input or context.” And it’s not just an issue for areas impacted by the January 2025 wildfires. Roughly 17% of the state’s buildings and large parts of L.A. would be impacted by pending statewide regulations and a recent update of fire-hazard maps. With the insurance industry supporting the idea and wildfire risk only growing, these regulations could very well spread to other states (Kauai County in Hawaii, and Boulder, Colorado, passed such rules earlier this year.) The Zone Zero idea comes from research about the causes of fires in the state, and efforts to create a more defensible wildland-urban interface, the area where most wildfires start and spread. Since wildfires tend to spread to homes due to flying embers and ignited plants and trees, the Zone Zero approach seeks to remove fire hazards and potential sources of ignition near a residence. Recent research showed that both hardening homes and enacting Zone Zero would cut the number of impacted structures during a wildfire in half. “The vegetation is also very, very critical, because all vegetation will burn under enough duration and heat,” said Kimiko Barrett, lead wildfire researcher for Headwaters Economics, a nonprofit research group focused on community development. “I think where it becomes challenging is when you’re talking about large trees. And you know, some types of trees are going to be more tolerant to fire than others, and that’s where it starts to get a little bit nebulous.” More Security or Moonscapes? Tony Andersen, Executive Officer with the Board of Forestry & Fire Protection, says it’s a select few vocal homeowners are pushing back against these regulations. To him, it’s clear the status quo isn’t working, and these evolving guidelines, arrived at through years of research and community feedback, can be an important tool in the toolbox to prevent fire damage. “There is a lot of science out there that is supporting this, guiding it, directing it, and serving as sort of a framework from what we’re working from,” he says. Research suggests applying Zone Zero to high fire-hazard areas of LA county would require changes around 400,00 structures, and opponents argue these shifts could have significant impacts on shade, wildlife habitat, biodiversity, and urban heat islands (and cooling costs). The city’s Community Forestry Advisory Committee released a report saying these Zone Zero recommendations would have a $13,000 impact on every household, on average. A September 18 meeting by the Board of Forestry in Pasadena to obtain feedback over proposed Zone Zero regulations received a fairly negative response from homeowners. “They’re talking about destroying our urban canopy, hundreds of acres of trees for uncertain benefits,” said Cyndi Hubach, a member of L.A.’s Community Forest Advisory Committee. Many residents in the Palisades and other areas in high-fire zones that would be impacted by the rules have pushed back, citing the cost, ecological impact, and the uncertainty some researchers have about Zone Zero recommendations. They’re angry that rules calling for reduced shrubs, hedges, and bushes; tightly trimmed trees; and empty spaces, especially in tighter urban lots, would turn their once-green backyards into what some have called unrecognizable moonscapes. Some opponents argue the rules don’t make distinctions around types of trees—some have more oil and are more flammable. Another argument is around whether or not well-watered vegetation could be a good way to prevent ignition (and of course, how that could be checked or monitored). Warren, of the Palisades Forestry Committee, said there’s a number of researchers who argue that well-watered plants and trees can protect homes and block embers, and disputes the idea that the science around this issue is settled. Palisades resident Tracey Price, who owns the landscaping company American Growers, said that the hedges on her property stopped embers and flames from burning her home, and she believes these proposed regulations would be overkill, as properly maintained trees and plants can save structures. “Enforcing Zone Zero? Let’s start with ALL city/county/state/federal buildings first, every library and post office,” she wrote in a public comment about the regulations. “Report back to us in a year with costs and utility bill increases for more air conditioning due to lack of shade. More blackouts because of our already strained power grid. Zone Zero removes life-saving protection.” A Cultural Shift in Landscaping California adopted a bill, SB 3074, in 2020 mandating the state create Zone Zero recommendations, but the governor’s push to get them finalized this year has created more anxiety around the rollout. In addition, the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), an insurance-industry backed nonprofit that researches building codes and safety and resilience standards, has enthusiastically supported the idea, which has led some opponents to claim it’s an effort by the industry to cut its losses. The renewed focus on these issues comes as homeowners, who have endured months of back-and-forths with insurance firms to get their payments, planning with architects, and soil remediation and clearance, are likely set to start applying en masse for building permits. This may set up a scenario where home owners start building and planning for their new home, only to later learn there’s new regulations around landscaping. This may have significant consequences, says Jennifer Gray Thompson, founder and CEO of advocacy group After the Fire USA. Non-Zone Zero compliant lawns might set homeowners up for higher insurance premiums, or trouble getting insured. But ripping out established landscaping could cost tens of thousands of dollars (she recalled residents rebuilding in Paradise, site of a deadly 2018 Camp Fire, spending up to $100,000 on landscaping that eventually got ripped out). “I get it, like that’s what we’re used to doing,” Thompson says of reluctance to rethink landscaping. “We were also at one point used to going and using an outhouse and not having a bathroom in the house ever, and that it was totally disgusting to people that you would ever move your toilet into the house. And so, due to typhoid and cholera we had to make a cultural and generational shift. Megafires are a public health crisis like anything else, and require a similar shift.” Growth Patterns Homeowners have varied visions of how they want to rebuild as they plot their returns to the Palisades, including submitting plans that include a fixed vision for landscaping. It’s expected that more and more homeowners will start submitting in upcoming months, and uncertainty around final Zone Zero rules may cause some to plow ahead with their own ideas, or ignore the regulations completely. Some designers are factoring this in. The organizers behind Case Study Adapt, a design competition to create new more resilient homes for the neighborhood, are deliberately designing homes and lots to provide barriers between plants and buildings, incorporate more water features, and utilize more native landscaping. Organizations like Fire Safe Marin, a Bay Area organization promoting fire safe landscaping, offer tips on reworking yards to be more fire safe. Thompson believes that in the new era of megafires, it’s a matter of when, not if, Zone Zero and other such resiliency regulations become more widely adopted. But what happens in the Palisades might be a pivot point; the combination of wealth, celebrity, and clout in the area gives the community plenty of firepower to push back against these rules. Alternatively, adopting them—and using creating eye-catching landscapes with these rules in mind—could accelerate what Thompson sees as a vital shift. The final iteration of these rules will be closely watched by both sides (draft language is already available). Opponents hope that any new rules come with more flexibility for preservation of certain trees, and more municipal control. Lots of L.A.’s urban tree canopy exists in the Palisades and hilly areas on the east side of town, both high fire severity zones, and arborists hope to preserve any and all urban trees they can. There’s also live questions about enforcement. Will CalFire and local fire inspectors really be checking how trees are trimmed and watered on a regular basis? And perhaps more important to insurability and survivability, following Zone Zero requires a full community effort. If a handful of residents on a block do not create these defensible zones, Barrett says, they not only put their homes at risk, they do the same for other homes, and increase the insurance risks of others. This megafire era requires not just design shifts but more community collaboration to become resilient. As neighborhoods return, and react, to what’s becoming a more risky, fire-prone era, solidarity, not just combustibility, will become a watchword. “This is not the moment for the individual American way,” Thompson says. “This is a group project.” View the full article

If you visit the Erie Canal today, you’ll find a tranquil waterway and trail that pass through charming towns and forests, a place where hikers, cyclists, kayakers, bird-watchers, and other visitors seek to enjoy nature and escape the pressures of modern life. However, relaxation and scenic beauty had nothing to do with the origins of this waterway. When the Erie Canal opened 200 years ago, on Oct. 26, 1825, the route was dotted with decaying trees left by construction that had cut through more than 360 miles of forests and fields, and life quickly sped up. Mules on the towpath along the canal could pull a heavy barge at a clip of 4 miles per hour—far faster than the job of dragging wagons over primitive roads. Boats rushed goods and people between the Great Lakes heartland and the port of New York City in days rather than weeks. Freight costs fell by 90%. As many books have proclaimed, the Erie Canal’s opening in 1825 solidified New York’s reputation as the Empire State. It also transformed the surrounding environment and forever changed the ecology of the Hudson River and the lower Great Lakes. For environmental historians like me, the canal’s bicentennial provides an opportunity to reflect upon its complex legacies, including the evolution of U.S. efforts to balance economic progress and ecological costs. Human and natural communities ruptured The Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Indigenous nations that the French called the Iroquois, engaged in canoe-based trade throughout the Great Lakes and Hudson River valley for centuries. In the 1700s, that began to change as American colonists took the land through brutal warfare, inequitable treaties, and exploitative policies. That Haudenosaunee dispossession made the Erie Canal possible. Haiwhagai’i Jake Edwards of the Onondaga Nation describes the Erie Canal’s impact on the people of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. WMHT. After the Revolutionary War, commercial enthusiasm for a direct waterborne route to the West intensified. Canal supporters identified the break in the Appalachian Mountains at the junction of the Mohawk River and the Hudson as a propitious place to dig a channel to Lake Erie. Yet cutting a 363-mile-long waterway through New York’s uneven terrain posed formidable challenges. Because the landscape rises 571 feet between Albany and Buffalo, a canal would require multiple locks to raise and lower boats. Federal officials refused to finance such “internal improvements.” But New York politician DeWitt Clinton was determined to complete the project, even if it meant using only state funds. Critics mocked the $7 million megaproject, worth around US$170 million today, calling it “DeWitt’s Ditch” and “Clinton’s Folly.” In 1817, however, thousands of men began digging the 4-foot-deep channel using hand shovels and pickaxes. The construction work produced engineering breakthroughs, such as hydraulic cement made from local materials and locks that lifted the canal’s water level about 60 feet at Lockport, yet it obliterated acres of wetlands and forests. After riding a canal boat between Utica and Syracuse, the writer Nathaniel Hawthorne described the surroundings in 1835 as “now decayed and death-struck.” However, most canalgoers viewed the waterway as a beacon of progress. As a trade artery, it made New York City the nation’s financial center. As a people mover, it fueled religious revivals, social reform movements, and the growth of Great Lakes cities. The Erie Canal’s socioeconomic benefits came with more environmental costs: The passageway enabled organisms from faraway places to reach lakes and rivers that had been isolated since the end of the last ice age. An invasive species expressway On Oct. 26, 1825, Gov. Clinton led a flotilla aboard the Seneca Chief from Buffalo to New York City that culminated in a grandiose ceremony. To symbolize the global connections made possible by the new canal, participants poured water from Lake Erie and rivers around the world into the Atlantic at Sandy Hook, a sand spit off New Jersey at the entrance to New York Harbor. Observers at the time described the ritual of “commingling the waters of the Lakes with the Ocean” in matrimonial terms. Clinton was an accomplished naturalist who had researched the canal route’s geology, birds, and fish. He even predicted that the waterway would “bring the western fishes into the eastern waters.” Biologists today would consider the “Wedding of the Waters” event a biosecurity risk. The Erie Canal and its adjacent feeder rivers and reservoirs likely enabled two voracious nonnative species, the Atlantic sea lamprey and alewife, to enter the Great Lakes ecosystem. By preying on lake trout and other highly valued native fish, these invaders devastated the lakes’ commercial fisheries. The harvest dropped by a stunning 98% from the previous average by the early 1960s. Tracing their origins is tricky, but historical, ecological and genetic data suggest that sea lampreys and alewives entered Lake Ontario via the Erie Canal during the 1860s. Later improvements to the Welland Canal in Canada enabled them to reach the upper Great Lakes by the 1930s. Protecting the $5 billion Great Lakes fishery from these invasive organisms requires constant work and consistent funding. In particular, applying pesticides and other techniques to control lamprey populations costs around $20 million per year. The invasive species that has inflicted the most environmental and economic harm on the Great Lakes is the zebra mussel. Zebra mussels traveled from Eurasia via the ballast water of transoceanic ships using the St. Lawrence Seaway during the 1980s. The Erie Canal then became a “mussel expressway” to the Hudson River. The hungry invading mussels caused a nearly tenfold reduction of phytoplankton, the primary food of many species of the Hudson River ecosystem. This competition for food, along with pollution and habitat degradation, led to the disappearance of two common species of the Hudson’s native pearly mussels. Today, the Erie Canal remains vulnerable to invasive plants, such as water chestnut and hydrilla, and invasive animals such as round goby. Boaters, kayakers and anglers can help reduce bioinvasions by cleaning, draining and drying their equipment after each use to avoid carrying invasive species to new locations. A recreational treasure During the Gilded Age in the late 1800s, the Erie Canal sparked a utilitarian sense of environmental concern. Timber cutting in the Adirondack Mountains was causing so much erosion that the eastern canal’s feeder rivers were filling up with silt. To protect these waterways, New York created Adirondack Park in 1892. Covering 6 million acres, the park balances forest preservation, recreation and commercial use on a unique mix of public and private lands. Erie Canal shipping declined during the 20th century with the opening of the deeper and wider St. Lawrence Seaway and competition from rail and highways. The canal still supports commerce, but the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor now provides an additional economic engine. A kayak tour shows how locks operate on the Erie Canal. WMHT Public Media. In 2024, 3.84 million people used the Erie Canalway Trail for cycling, hiking, kayaking, sightseeing and other adventures. The tourists and day-trippers who enjoy the historic landscape generate over $300 million annually. Over the past 200 years, the Erie Canal has both shaped and been shaped by ecological forces and changing socioeconomic priorities. As New York reimagines the canal for its third century, the artificial river’s environmental history provides important insights for designing technological systems that respect human communities and work with nature rather than against it. Christine Keiner is the chair of the Department of Science, Technology, and Society at the Rochester Institute of Technology. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. View the full article

Marc Rowan tells FT that regulators have yet to catch up with political drive to boost competitivenessView the full article

Surveillance pricing has dominated headlines recently. Delta Air Lines’ announcement that it will use artificial intelligence to set individualized ticket prices has led to widespread concerns about companies using personal data to charge different prices for identical products. As The New York Times reported, this practice involves companies tracking everything from your hotel bookings to your browsing history to determine what you’re willing to pay. The reaction has been swift. Democratic lawmakers have responded with outrage, with Texas Representative Greg Casar introducing legislation to ban the practice. Meanwhile, President Donald The President’s new chair of the Federal Trade Commission has shut down public comment on the issue, signaling that the regulatory pendulum may swing away from oversight entirely. What’s missing in this political back-and-forth is a deeper look at the economics. As a business school professor who researches pricing strategy, I think the debate misses important nuances. Opponents of surveillance pricing overlook some potential benefits that could make markets both more efficient and, counterintuitively, more equitable. What surveillance pricing actually is Surveillance pricing differs from traditional dynamic pricing, where prices rise for everyone at times of peak demand. Instead, it uses personal data—browsing history, location, purchase patterns, even device type—to charge a unique price based on what algorithms predict you’re willing to pay. The goal is to discover each customer’s “reservation price”—the most they’ll pay before walking away. Until recently, this was extremely difficult to do, but modern data collection has made it increasingly feasible. An FTC investigation found that companies track highly personal consumer behaviors to set individualized prices. For example, a new parent searching for “baby thermometers” might find pricier products on the first page of their results than a nonparent would. It’s not surprising that many people think this is unfair. The unintended progressive tax But consider this: Surveillance pricing also means that wealthy customers pay more for identical goods, while lower-income customers pay less. That means it could achieve redistribution goals typically pursued through government policy. Pharmaceutical companies already do this globally, charging wealthier countries more for identical drugs to make medications accessible in poorer nations. Surveillance pricing could function as a private-sector progressive tax system. Economists call it “price discrimination,” but it often helps poorer consumers access goods they might otherwise be unable to afford. And unlike government programs, this type of redistribution requires no taxpayer funding. When Amazon’s algorithm charges me more than a college student for the same laptop, it’s effectively running a means-tested subsidy program—funded by consumers. PBS NewsHour featured a segment on the Delta Air Lines news. The two-tier economy problem In my view, the most legitimate concern about surveillance pricing isn’t that it exists, but how it’s implemented. Online retailers can seamlessly adjust prices in real time, while physical stores remain largely stuck with uniform pricing. Imagine the customer fury if Target’s checkout prices varied by person based on their smartphone data: There could be chaos in the stores. This digital-physical divide could also create unfair advantages for tech-savvy companies while leaving traditional retailers behind. That would raise fairness considerations for consumers as well as retailers. This is related to another force that could limit how far surveillance pricing can go: arbitrage, or the practice of buying something where it is cheaper and selling it where it is more expensive. If a system consistently charges wealthy customers $500 for items that cost poor customers $200, it creates opportunities for entrepreneurial intermediaries to exploit these price gaps. Personal shopping services, buying cooperatives, or even friends and family networks could arbitrage these differences, providing wealthy customers access to the lower prices while splitting the savings. This means surveillance pricing can’t discriminate too aggressively—market forces will erode excessive price gaps. That’s why I believe the solution isn’t to ban surveillance pricing entirely, but to monitor how it’s put in practice. The regulatory sweet spot The current political moment offers a strange opportunity. With Republicans focused on AI innovation and Democrats fixated on bans, there’s space for a more sophisticated position that embraces market-based redistribution while demanding strong consumer protections. In my view, smart regulation would require companies to disclose when personal data influences pricing, and would prohibit discrimination based on protected characteristics such as race, color, or religion—and this list needs to be created extremely carefully. This would preserve the efficiency benefits while preventing abuse. Surveillance pricing based on desperation or need also raises unique ethical questions. Charging a wealthier customer more for a taxi ride is one thing; charging someone extra solely because their battery is low and they risk being stranded is another. As I see it, the distinction between ability to pay and urgency of need must become the cornerstone of regulation. While distinguishing the two may seem challenging, it’s far from impossible. It would help if customers were empowered to report exploitative practices, using mechanisms similar to existing price-gouging protections. A solid regulatory framework must also clarify the difference between dynamic pricing and surveillance-based exploitation. Dynamic pricing has long been standard practice: Airlines charge all last-minute travelers higher fares, regardless of their circumstances. But consider two passengers buying tickets on the same day—one rushing to a funeral, another planning a spontaneous vacation. Right now, airlines can use technology to identify and exploit the funeral attendee’s desperate circumstances. The policy challenge is precise: Can we design regulations that prevent airlines from exploiting the bereaved while still allowing retailers to offer discounts on laptops to lower-income families? The answer will determine whether surveillance pricing becomes a tool for equity or exploitation. Aradhna Krishna is a Dwight F. Benton professor of marketing at the University of Michigan. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. View the full article