As agentic AI transforms the consumer industry, companies are scrambling to maximize returns on their AI investments. A BCG/Consumer Goods Forum survey illuminates where performance gaps are widening and how frontrunners are finding success.AI Is Becoming the New Commercial Operating System for CPG and RetailBCG and The Consumer Goods Forum’s new board brief argues that AI is no longer just a productivity tool for consumer companies. It is becoming a competitive operating system for how CPG brands and retailers sense demand, create products...

San Francisco-based Weave Robotics has unveiled Isaac 1, a home robot designed to handle household chores—particularly laundry—without adopting a humanoid form. Instead of walking on two legs, Isaac 1 uses a wheeled base and articulated arms, emphasizing practical functionality over human imitation.The robot is scheduled to begin deliveries in California in fall 2026, with broader U.S. availability planned for 2027. Isaac 1 is priced at US$7,999 or US$449 per month through a subscription plan, targeting early adopters interested in home ro...

Meta’s newly published patent application, Mixed Reality Device-Based Speech Assistance, points to a future in which smart glasses or mixed-reality headsets do more than display notifications or capture images. The system described in the filing is designed to help users participate in real-time conversations by transcribing what another person says, generating possible replies with a large language model, and then turning the selected reply into spoken audio through text-to-speech.The patent frames the technology as an assistive communicat...

Norm brings together senior attorneys and AI engineers to build agentic law, already serving institutions managing more than $30 trillion.Norm Ai has raised US$120 million in a Series C funding round at a US$1.2 billion valuation, becoming one of the newest AI unicorns focused on legal technology. The round was led by Khosla Ventures, with participation from Blackstone, Bain Capital Ventures, Coatue, Craft Ventures, Vanguard, New York Life, TIAA, and several prominent legal and financial industry leaders.Founded less than three years ago, No...

Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis has agreed to acquire U.K.-based biotechnology startup Myricx Bio for up to US$1.5 billion, strengthening its oncology pipeline as competition intensifies in the global cancer drug market.Novartis agreed to acquire Myricx Bio for up to $1.5 billion to bolster its oncology drug portfolio.The Swiss pharmaceutical company will pay $1.1 billion upfront for Myricx Bio, which develops antibody-drug conjugates.Analysts at Vontobel noted the acquisition is extraordinary as Myricx Bio has not reached late-stage c...

Domestic leather goods labels led by Songmont outpace global rivals on Tmall, pressuring accessible luxury while the top end remains resilient.Chinese handbag brands are rapidly gaining market share in the accessible luxury segment, challenging established international players through strong product design, efficient local supply chains, and digital-first business models. According to a new Bernstein report, domestic leather goods brands are growing significantly faster than their global competitors.Between 2021 and 2025, Songmont increased...

Power banks are among the most purchased tech accessories around, yet they’re rarely something anyone is proud to pull out in public. Most are plastic rectangles with LED indicators and brand names that read like Wi-Fi passwords. Even among the better-designed ones, the focus has always been on capacity and wattage, leaving the physical object as an afterthought. The result is a category full of capable but thoroughly forgettable hardware.That’s an unusual entry point for Bang & Olufsen. The Danish brand isn’t known for accessories yo...

1. Apple, 단일 명령으로 다중 앱 태스크를 처리하는 차세대 Siri 보이스 단축키 특허 취득단일 음성 명령 기반의 멀티 앱 워크플로우 자동화: 유저의 "퇴근 시작" 한 마디로 파트너 문자 송신, 팟캐스트 재생, 스마트 온도조절기 제어를 일괄 자동 완결하는 음성 매핑 기술 수립.단계별 실행 상태의 개별 순차 피드백 루프 구축: 다중 태스크 처리 시 각 앱의 성공·실패 상태("메시지 전송 완료" 등)를 유저에게 실시간 음성 및 화면으로 개별 보고하는 인프라 전착.가역성 기반의 2단계 제어 거버넌스 및 선제 제안: 취소 용이한 저위험 작업은 즉각 실행하되, 자금 송금·파일 삭제 등...

Say one phrase to Siri and watch it complete a chain of tasks across different apps, telling you how each one went. That's the idea at the center of Apple's latest voice-shortcut patent.What Apple's multi-app voice shortcut system actually doesImagine saying "start my commute" and having your phone automatically text your partner you're leaving, queue up a podcast in one app, and set your smart thermostat to away mode in another. Right now, Siri can do some of this, but the handoffs between apps are clunky and you usually can't tell what act...