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Wells Fargo and Google Cloud are further cementing their longstanding strategic partnership with the introduction of artificially intelligent agents into Wells Fargos systems, the companies announced today. As part of the agreement, Wells Fargo employeeseveryone from tellers to investment bankers to C-suite executiveswill be able to utilize AI agents via Google Agentspace, Google Clouds agentic AI platform. The rollout will begin immediately with 2,000 Wells Fargo employees and will continue to be expanded over the coming months. What does it mean for customers? Quicker, better servicetheoretically. The AI agents are expected to help Wells Fargos teams become faster at automating tasks, quicker at analyzing information, and overall more efficient at their jobs, the companies say. For example, Wells Fargos banking business generates some 50,000 credit-related memos every year. A custom-built AI agent could conceivably tap into complex financial data, trends, and risk assessments to generate the first draft. Wells Fargo’s adoption of Google Agentspace marks a bold step forward in making banking simpler and smarterfor our customers and employees, says Tracy Kerrins, consumer CIO and head of enterprise generative AI at Wells Fargo. By leveraging advanced agentic AI capabilities, we can get answers and insights faster, work more efficiently, and free up time to focus on what matters most: helping people reach their financial goals. What guardrails are in place? One thing that both Wells Fargo and Google Clouds team are putting front and center is what they describe as a more responsible approach to AI deployment. In a statement, the two companies said their collaboration is underpinned by rigorous ethical and regulatory frameworks so that these powerful tools are used in a way that promotes accuracy, fairness, transparency, accountability, and security. As companies across various industries team up with tech platforms to roll out generative AI products, some have drawn the ire of privacy and copyright advocates, among others. Financial services are seen as particularly complicated use cases for AI given the strict regulatory and compliance requirements under which banks operate, to say nothing of the need to maintain consumer trust and protect sensitive private financial data. A report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) earlier this year found that while AI can lead to reduced costs and improved efficiency for financial institutions, AI also poses risks, including potentially biased lending decisions, data quality issues, privacy concerns, and new cybersecurity threats. In the near term, itll be interesting to see if agentic AI proves to be a difference-maker for Wells Fargo in a competitive financial services space. Our work with Wells Fargo is a defining moment for agentic AI in the financial services industry, says Matt Renner, president of global revenue at Google Cloud. By equipping everyone from branch bankers to corporate teams with Google AI tools, Wells Fargo will unlock new levels of efficiency.
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E-Commerce
Over seven days in July, a rotating crew of GM workers drove a Chevrolet Silverado EV Work Truck for 1,059.2 miles on a single charge. Thats higher than the Guinness World Record for longest distance driven by an EV on one charge749 miles, set earlier in July by Lucid Air Grand Touring. Its also significantly more than the Silverado EVs EPA-estimated range of 493 miles. But the feat required some driving conditions customers likely wouldnt want to replicate themselves, like not using the AC at all during the summer heat, and driving at speeds of just 25 miles per hour. [Photo: GM] Range anxiety has become a common concern for EV drivers and potential EV customers who fear getting stranded with a dead battery far from a charging site. Automakers and engineers continue to make battery developments to improve EV range, but how many miles you get out of a charge also depends on a whole bunch of other factorslike the weather, the weight in the vehicle, if youre driving uphill, if youre using air conditioning, and even your driving style, like if youre accelerating quickly or slamming on the breaks. GM engineers knew they would have to control for all those variables. They didnt make any changes to the software of the battery for this test, but they did make hardware changes, including lowering the position of the windshield wiper to reduce drag, inflating the tires to their highest acceptable pressure to lower rolling resistance, and removing the spare tire to make the vehicle lighter. Engineers also optimized the trucks wheel alignment, put a tonneau cover over the truck bed, and turned off climate control inside the vehicle (if a driver has the AC on while its extremely hot outside, an EV range can be up to 50% less than under optimal conditions). They also chose to do the test during a warmer time of year, because EV batteries can struggle in the cold. Workers who got behind the wheel took careful considerations around their driving behavior, too, mapping out routes that traveled on slower roads rather than highways and driving just 20 miles per hour to 25 miles per hour where safe to do so, says Jon Doremus, an engineering manager at Chevrolet who led the project. (Before July 2025, the Guinness world record for longest journey by an electric car on a single charge was 649 miles, also set by Lucid; Chevrolet didnt involve Guinness World Records in this project.) The rotating crew of Silverado drivers were also mindful of how hard they were breaking and accelerating. One of the terms that the engineers used was drive like there is an egg between your foot and the gas pedal, so very, very gently accelerating and very gently decelerating, Doremus says. For the majority of the driving time, there was just one person in the truck, which reduced weight. The project spanned seven days and included trips around GMs Milford Proving Ground and Detroits Belle Isle. In total, about 40 different GM workers drove during the test; the team made a sign-up sheet available to anyone from the company to participate. We knew this was going to mean a lot of hours driving in a truck that didnt have AC, so you need to take shifts and have a lot of people rotating out to not get fatigued, Doremus says. (Drivers could crack the windows up to 2 inches, and there was also a battery-operated fan in the truck.) Forgoing air conditioning in July, avoiding highways, and traveling light (for an electric truck that has a towing capacity of 10,000 pounds) may not be choices that the average Chevy customer also decides to make. GM engineers know that. I don’t expect people are going to do these things on their daily vehicles, but thats not to say theres not a lot to learn and pick from this to get a better range, Doremus says. He says the experiment shows just how many factors people can control to try to get more out of their EVs, and what important role driving behavior plays. If you do want to get better range out of your vehicles and you’re willing to sacrifice some of your commute time, maybe it makes sense to take a local highway instead of the interstate and go 45 to 50 instead of 70 to 75 [miles per hour], he adds. Its also not the first GM engineering test that doesnt exactly mimic the standard, day-to-day driving experience. Do we expect the average customer to go out to Yuma [Arizona], where it’s 120 degrees [Fahrenheit] right now, tow a trailer at max payload and go up and down the steepest grades we can find? Doremus says. Probably not, but we do it, because we want to make sure the truck can do that in case somebody ever does get in that situation. Workers who participated included some who were super familiar with the Silverado EVbut also those who hadnt ever driven an electric truck before. For the latter, Doremus says the exercise quelled some range anxiety. They realized that there’s a lot within my control to maximize this, this range, he says. Yeah, on paper, I may only be able to go 493 miles, but if I got into a situation where I needed to stretch my range as much as possible, there’s a lot of things that I can do to drive efficiently.
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E-Commerce
Today, McDonalds revealed its plans for a new menu item that will evoke memories of the past: The limited-edition McDonaldland Meal will hit the fast food eaterys menu later this month. McDonaldland, which the burger giant introduced in 1971, is the fictional world inhabited by popular McDonald’s characters, including Ronald McDonald, Grimace, Birdie, Hamburglar, Mayor McCheese, and the Fry Friends. The McDonaldland Meal comes with your choice of a Quarter Pounder with Cheese or 10-piece Chicken McNuggets, and includes fries, a limited-edition Mt. McDonaldland Shake, and a collectible souvenir. A specialty shake with a mystery flavor According to a news release, the Mt. McDonaldland shake is inspired by the vibrant blue lava and pink clouds of Mt. McDonaldland. The flavor of the shake has yet to be revealed (customers are meant to discover it for themselves), but its bright colors are clearly intended to make it social media friendly at a time when specialty drinks routinely go viral on TikTok. Each meal comes with one of six exclusive collectible tins inspired by the iconic McDonaldland characters and will include postcards and stickers. Jennifer “JJ” Healan, McDonalds VP of U.S. marketing, brand, content, and culture, explained in a statement that the collectibles are meant to introduce younger customers to McDonaldland lore. “Over the past few years, we’ve seen how fans flock to our characters, everyone from Grimace to the Hamburglar,” Healan said. “But many, especially the new generation, don’t know that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There’s an entire magical world of McDonaldland filled with characters, places, and lore.” The meal will be available at participating McDonald’s locations while supplies last, beginning on August 12. McDonalds hopes to attract more customers and boost sales This isnt the first time that McDonalds has tapped into nostalgiaand not even the first time in recent memory. Last month, the fast food brand revived its popular Snack Wrap. You can now order a Ranch Snack Wrap or Spicy Snack Wrap when you visit the Golden Arches. Fans had been begging McDonalds to bring back the menu item for years. In a June 3 news release, Joe Erlinger, president of McDonalds USA, shared, Its back. The fast food retailer has been getting creative as it looks for ways to attract more customers and increase sales. Tapping into nostalgia is one approach. Another has been to find ways to appeal to consumers who have tightened their spending amid economic uncertainty. Last year and into this year, McDonalds has leaned further into value-focused marketing. Its McValue Meal features meal deals that start at $5. The fast food company also features buy one, add one for $1 breakfast and lunch items. McDonalds is expected to release its second-quarter earnings on Wednesday. Three months ago, the restaurant chain reported a 3.6% decline in U.S. comparable sales, its largest drop since the pandemic.
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E-Commerce
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