Scope3 Data Shows that SeenThis Technology Emits Less Carbon Than Conventional Ad Serving 

Adaptive streaming specialist SeenThis has joined forces with Scope3, a collaborative sustainability platform, to integrate its data and ad formats. This collaboration allows users to select SeenThis formats within the Scope3 interface and discover their emissions directly, highlighting the environmental benefits of SeenThis technology.

1. Leveraging Streaming Technology for Lower Emissions:

• SeenThis has developed its solution on streaming technology, optimizing towards less data consumption and lower emissions.
• Scope3's latest feature update includes modeling for ad formats, demonstrating that SeenThis technology can result in lower emissions for advertisers compared to conventional technology.

2. Global Scale Impact:

• At a global scale, SeenThis offers streaming ad technology that optimizes creatives and delivery, contributing to emissions reduction in advertising campaigns.
• The collaboration with Scope3 expands the visibility of SeenThis technology's environmental benefits, showcasing its potential for reducing carbon footprint across the advertising supply chain.

3. Empowering Sustainable Advertising Ecosystem:

• The integration of SeenThis data and ad formats into the Scope3 platform enables advertisers to make informed decisions that prioritize sustainability.
• Both companies are committed to building a more sustainable advertising ecosystem and providing advertisers with solutions that measurably reduce emissions.

4. Future Collaboration and Impact:

• SeenThis expresses excitement about continuing its partnership with Scope3 to further advance sustainability initiatives in the advertising industry.
• By collaborating with Scope3, SeenThis aims to empower media buyers globally to choose partners that offer sustainable solutions, driving meaningful reductions in emissions from advertising campaigns.

SeenThis' collaboration with Scope3 marks a significant step towards promoting sustainability in the advertising industry. By integrating its data and ad formats into the Scope3 platform, SeenThis enables advertisers to make environmentally conscious decisions and reduce their carbon footprint. This partnership underscores the importance of collaboration in driving sustainability initiatives across the advertising supply chain.

New Report Shows Strategic Use of AI for Specific Use Cases Results in Increased Revenue; AI’s Ability to Deliver Trustworthy, Brand-accurate Information Remains A Top Concern

Conversica, Inc. unveils the findings of its comprehensive research study, The 2024 Marketing Executive AI Sentiment Report, shedding light on AI adoption, trust levels, and future plans among marketing leaders.

1. Revenue Impact and Investment Plans:
   • 89% of marketing leaders report AI-driven initiatives contributing to revenue growth in the past year.
   • 90% plan to increase investment in AI, expanding current tools or exploring new applications.
   • Middle of the funnel is identified as the area with the greatest potential for AI impact, particularly in lead nurture and qualification.
2. Concerns and Trust in AI:
   • 69% of respondents express concern about AI’s ability to deliver trustworthy, brand-accurate information.
   • 53% are worried about losing human oversight in customer interactions with AI.
   • Despite concerns, 89.5% of marketing leaders trust AI to act autonomously to some extent within their organizations.
3. Future AI Use Cases:
   • Top planned AI use cases for the next 12 months include improving real-time engagement, scaling outbound marketing, and inbound follow-up.
   • Lead nurture and qualification emerge as the use case with the highest potential to impact conversion rates and revenue growth.

Jim Kaskade, CEO of Conversica, emphasizes the strategic importance of AI adoption for marketing leaders and warns against complacency in the rapidly evolving landscape. He highlights the need for comprehensive AI-powered solutions to drive revenue-centric operations effectively.

The 2024 Marketing Executive AI Sentiment Report showcases the growing reliance on AI in marketing, with clear indications of increased investment and strategic planning. Despite concerns, high trust levels underscore the potential for AI to revolutionize marketing strategies and drive revenue growth in the coming years.

Footprint’s platform helps companies reduce fraud and friction in verifying identity at creation and log-in

Footprint, a trailblazer in unifying KYC (Know Your Customer), security, and authentication, has secured $13 million in Series A funding led by QED Investors. This round also saw participation from existing investors like Index Ventures and new participants such as Neo and Animal Capital. The funding will propel Footprint's mission to automate consumer onboarding and reduce identity fraud, significantly enhancing their product offerings and technological capabilities.

Expanding Product Offerings: The newly acquired funds will enable Footprint to double down on its product development, aiming to provide the highest fidelity verification for current users while exploring new ways to utilize identities. Key expansions include:

• Launch of Fraud Suite: Introducing advanced tools to detect and prevent fraud.
• Diverse Verification Options: Incorporating data from credit bureaus, pay stubs, and vehicle information to enhance verification processes.

Introducing Footprint Connections: Footprint is launching a new tool, Footprint Connections, designed to link customers within its network, leveraging the platform's portability to create seamless interactions and reduce friction during the verification process.

CEO Insights: Eli Wachs, CEO and co-founder, emphasizes a new philosophy in fraud detection by focusing on identifying good actors rather than merely screening out bad ones. This approach is crucial in an era where generative AI can create numerous authentic-seeming identities, necessitating a robust system to pre-vet and authenticate users efficiently.

Balancing Fraud and Friction: Companies often struggle with the tradeoff between fraud prevention and user experience. Traditionally, reducing fraud involved adding friction to the onboarding process, which could deter genuine users. Footprint aims to resolve this by combining KYC, authentication, and fraud detection into a single, streamlined product.

Technological Innovations: Footprint leverages several cutting-edge technologies to ensure secure and efficient identity verification:

• Decision and Rules Engine: Utilizes large identity datasets for dynamic verification without the need for coding.
• Document and Selfie Verification: Provides a native user experience for document and image authentication.
• Passkeys: Binds biometrics to personally identifiable information (PII) to prevent account takeovers and phishing.
• Secure Vaulting Infrastructure: Powered by AWS Nitro Enclaves, ensuring data privacy and security.

Founders' Background: Footprint was founded in 2022 by Eli Wachs and Alex Grinman. Wachs, a Stanford MBA graduate, has a history of entrepreneurial ventures, while Grinman, an MIT graduate, previously founded KryptCo, a mobile authentication company acquired by Akamai.

Growth and Impact: Since launching its enterprise platform, Footprint has demonstrated significant growth and impact. Customers in various sectors, including financial services, automotive, and real estate, have reported substantial improvements in onboarding completion rates and fraud detection. Notable partnerships in banking further underscore Footprint's growing influence.

Market Challenges: Despite substantial spending on financial crime compliance, identity fraud remains a pervasive issue, exacerbated by frequent data breaches. Footprint's innovative approach aims to address these challenges by providing a robust, portable identity verification system.

Footprint's $13 million Series A funding marks a pivotal step in advancing KYC and fraud prevention technologies. With an expanding product suite and innovative tools, Footprint is poised to set new standards in identity verification, ultimately reducing fraud and improving user experiences across various industries.

IBM watsonx platform and IBM Granite series models will bring even more large language models to power generative AI use cases, pre-built actions, and prompts across the Salesforce Einstein 1 Platform

IBM joins the Salesforce Zero Copy Partner Network to enable zero copy data integration between IBM watsonx and Salesforce Data Cloud, giving customers a secure and cost-effective way to connect all of their data and take action on it 

Salesforce joins the AI Alliance, bolstering its commitment to responsible AI and continuing to provide customers with trusted and reliable AI tools

IBM and Salesforce have announced an expanded strategic partnership. This collaboration combines IBM's watsonx AI and Data Platform with Salesforce's Einstein 1 Platform, offering customers enhanced flexibility and choice in AI and data deployment. This partnership aims to empower teams with data-driven decision-making capabilities seamlessly integrated into their workflows.

1. Enhanced Large Language Model Flexibility

• Integration of LLMs: Salesforce's "Bring Your Own Large Language Model" strategy will now support integration with IBM's watsonx.ai platform.
• IBM Granite Models: Access to IBM's Granite series AI models, tailored for enterprise needs and optimized for trust and scalability.
• Custom AI Solutions: Organizations can leverage both prebuilt and custom AI models to suit specific business requirements.

2. Industry-Specific AI Solutions

• Prebuilt Prompts and Actions: IBM is developing industry-specific prompt templates and copilot actions for Salesforce's Einstein 1 Studio.
• Public Sector Focus: Initial templates are designed for public sector applications such as government contact centers and licensing.
• Broad Industry Application: Templates will extend to automotive, energy, utilities, financial services, and more, enhancing customer interactions and operational efficiency.

3. Bidirectional Data Integration

• Zero Copy Partner Network: IBM joins Salesforce's network, enabling secure, bidirectional data integration.
• Data Accessibility: Customers can access IBM data through watsonx.data within Salesforce Data Cloud, maintaining data security while facilitating comprehensive analytics.
• Seamless Customer Engagement: Integrated data views enable actionable insights and cohesive customer experiences across all channels.

4. Commitment to Responsible AI

• AI Alliance Membership: Salesforce joins the AI Alliance, supporting the development of open, safe, and ethical AI.
• Collaborative Innovation: The AI Alliance fosters cooperation across industries, startups, academia, and government to promote the responsible advancement of AI technologies.

The enhanced partnership between IBM and Salesforce marks a significant advancement in AI and data integration, offering businesses tailored, scalable, and responsible AI solutions. By leveraging the combined strengths of IBM's watsonx and Salesforce's Einstein 1 Platform, organizations can drive more efficient, data-driven decisions and deliver superior customer experiences. This collaboration underscores a commitment to innovation and ethical AI development, setting a new standard for AI deployment in the enterprise landscape.

Button, a leading provider of deep linking and traffic optimization solutions, has announced the availability of its Publisher Link Optimization solution in the Amazon Publisher Services (APS) Connections Marketplace. This solution aims to enhance the monetization of affiliate traffic through advanced AI and deep-linking techniques, offering publishers a seamless way to boost conversions and revenue.

1. Optimizing Affiliate Traffic

• AI-Driven Optimization: Button's technology utilizes artificial intelligence to enhance the routing and deep-linking of affiliate traffic, ensuring that users are directed to the most relevant and engaging content.
• Increased Conversions: By improving the end-user experience and click-to-purchase process, Button's solution has been shown to increase buyer conversions significantly.
• Revenue Growth: Publishers have experienced up to a 40% growth in affiliate revenue by implementing Button's optimization techniques.

2. Seamless Integration with APS

• Easy Implementation: APS Publishers can integrate Button's solution directly via the APS Connections Marketplace without any development work.
• Support and Accessibility: For assistance, publishers can contact the Button team at publisher-team@usebutton.com.

3. Enhanced Publisher and Brand Experiences

• Improving Digital Marketplace: Button aims to optimize links to drive higher ROI and better customer experiences, bridging the gap between content and commerce.
• Retail Media Value: By including third-party vendors like Button, APS enhances its retail media offerings, amplifying publishers' monetization strategies and improving customer experiences.

4. Strategic Industry Impact

• Statements from Leadership:
  • Michael Jaconi, CEO and Co-Founder of Button, emphasizes the company's mission to improve the digital marketplace through optimized link technology.
  • Scott Siegler, Director of Product & Technology at APS, highlights the value Button brings to publishers by enhancing retail media monetization and optimizing return on ad spend.

Button's integration into the Amazon Publisher Services Connections Marketplace represents a significant advancement for publishers looking to optimize affiliate traffic and increase revenue. By leveraging AI-driven link optimization and deep-linking techniques, Button not only boosts conversions but also enhances the overall user experience. This collaboration underscores Button's commitment to creating a more efficient and profitable digital marketplace where content seamlessly intersects with commerce.

• Releases a family of IBM Granite models into open source, including its most capable and efficient Code LLMs that can out-perform larger code models on many industry benchmarks

• Jointly with Red Hat, launches InstructLab, a first-of-its-kind model alignment technique, to bring open-source community contributions directly into LLMs

• Unveils new vision and momentum for new data and automation capabilities; Accelerates generative AI infusion into IBM assistants, automation, infrastructure, resource management products and consulting services

• Strengthens collaborations with AWS, Adobe, Meta, Microsoft, Mistral AI, Palo Alto Networks, SAP, Salesforce, and SDAIA to expand capabilities and offer model choice, flexibility and governance through watsonx

At its annual THINK conference, IBM introduced significant enhancements to its watsonx platform, emphasizing its commitment to making artificial intelligence (AI) more open, cost-effective, and flexible for businesses. During his keynote speech, CEO Arvind Krishna detailed IBM’s strategy to invest in and contribute to the open-source AI community.

1. Open-Source AI Innovations

• Granite Models: IBM has open-sourced its advanced Granite language and code models, which range from 3 billion to 34 billion parameters. These models are designed for tasks like code generation, bug fixing, and application modernization. Available under Apache 2.0 licenses on Hugging Face and GitHub, these models have been optimized for performance across various programming languages.
• InstructLab: In collaboration with Red Hat, IBM launched InstructLab, enabling continuous development of AI models through incremental contributions. This initiative allows businesses to tailor AI models to their specific needs, fostering a more collaborative and open innovation environment.

2. New watsonx Assistants

• watsonx Code Assistant for Enterprise Java Applications: Launching in October 2024, this tool aids in transforming Java applications.
• watsonx Assistant for Z: Available in June 2024, this assistant enhances user interactions with IBM Z systems.
• watsonx Code Assistant for Z Service: Also available in June 2024, this service provides code explanation and documentation through natural language.

3. Enhanced Hardware and AI Deployment

• NVIDIA GPU Offerings: IBM is expanding its GPU offerings to include NVIDIA L40S and L4 Tensor Core GPUs. This support extends to Red Hat Enterprise Linux AI (RHEL AI) and OpenShift AI.
• Quick AI Deployment: IBM is leveraging deployable architectures for watsonx to enable swift AI deployment, equipped with robust security and compliance capabilities.

4. New Generative AI Data Products

• IBM Data Product Hub: Launching in June 2024, this hub will help organizations manage and optimize their data for AI workloads.
• Data Gate for watsonx: Another June 2024 launch, this capability will enhance data governance and observation.

5. AI-Powered Automation

• IBM Concert: Set to debut in June 2024, this generative AI-powered tool will serve as the nerve center for an enterprise’s technology and operations. It integrates with existing systems to provide predictive insights and suggest solutions for application management issues.

6. Expanding Ecosystem and Partnerships

• Third-Party Integrations: IBM continues to expand its ecosystem, bringing third-party models onto watsonx and enhancing collaborations with major tech companies like AWS, Adobe, Meta, Microsoft, and more.
• Strategic Partnerships: New partnerships, such as with Mistral AI and expanded collaborations with Palo Alto Networks and Salesforce, aim to deliver advanced AI capabilities across various platforms and industries.

7. Client and Partner Success Stories

• Broadridge Financial: Leveraging generative AI for enhanced developer productivity and application sustainability.
• Casper Labs: Utilizing blockchain-enabled governance for responsible AI scaling.
• Department for Work and Pensions: Transforming service delivery with AI, focusing on human-centered values and reusable components.
• Dun & Bradstreet: Co-creating AI solutions for procurement and business process optimization.

IBM's updates to the watsonx platform and its continued investment in open-source AI highlight the company's commitment to driving innovation, enhancing AI accessibility, and fostering collaboration across the tech community.

As digital identity (ID) systems gain traction globally, businesses are navigating the challenges and opportunities these technologies present. Regula, a leading developer of forensic devices and identity verification (IDV) solutions, commissioned a study through Forrester Consulting to understand how companies across different regions and industries perceive, implement, and strategize for digital identities. 

1. Awareness and Understanding

• High Awareness: 81% of large and enterprise-level companies in sectors such as Aviation, Banking, Government, IT, and Telecom are aware of digital identity technology. Nearly half of these companies possess a thorough understanding of it.
• Advanced Digital Infrastructures: Countries with advanced digital infrastructures and regulatory frameworks, coupled with high frequencies of customer online interactions, are leading in digital ID adoption.

2. Implementation Status

• Global Integration Rates: Currently, 42% of organizations worldwide are actively integrating digital ID technologies, while 31% are in the early stages of implementation. Another 17% are developing strategic plans for integration.
• Regional Disparities: The United Arab Emirates leads with 54% of businesses in active integration, whereas stricter regulatory regions like the US and Europe show lower integration rates (37% and 39%, respectively).

3. Strategic Approaches and Challenges

• Hybrid Approach Necessity: Forrester experts highlight the need for a hybrid approach to digital IDs due to the complexities and varying global implementation landscapes.
• Lack of Universal Standards: There is no universally accepted global standard for digital IDs, making interoperability, security, and privacy major concerns. International organizations such as the International Civil Aviation Organization and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) are working towards establishing these standards.

4. Strategic Insights

• Frameworks and Guidelines: The active implementation phase in many companies underscores the growing need for comprehensive frameworks and guidelines to ensure digital ID systems' interoperability and security across borders and sectors.

Quote from Regula's CTO

"The complexities and disparities of global implementation across various landscapes highlight the strategic necessity of adopting a hybrid approach to digital IDs. Several international organizations and standards bodies are working towards frameworks that foster interoperability, security, and privacy. This seems to be a case where slow and steady wins the race," said Ihar Kliashchou, Chief Technology Officer at Regula.

Upcoming Webinar for More Insights

Regula will host a webinar with experts from the European Telecommunications Standards Institute to discuss the survey findings and the future of digital ID. Interested parties can register to join the live discussion.

Methodology

The survey was conducted in January 2024 by Forrester Consulting. It included 226 manager-level and higher decision makers responsible for their organizations' ID verification solutions, primarily from Europe, North America, and the Middle East. Respondents were from companies with at least 500 employees.

Contact Information:

• Media Contact: Amy Angelini, alangeli@us.ibm.com
• Webinar Registration: Join the Live Discussion

This study highlights the critical role of digital identities in modern business operations and the importance of strategic planning and international cooperation in their implementation.

Usercentrics, a leader in data privacy solutions, has partnered with Wix, a prominent SaaS website builder platform, to launch Cookiebot™ for Wix by Usercentrics. This plug-and-play solution aims to simplify consent management implementation for website owners, ensuring compliance with regulations such as the GDPR.

Key Features of Cookiebot™ for Wix by Usercentrics

1. Streamlined Setup and Easy Integration

   • Users can set up Cookiebot™ for Wix with just a few simple steps.
   • One-click banner enablement makes it straightforward to activate the consent banner on their websites.

2. Customizable User Experience

   • The consent banner is highly customizable, allowing design flexibility to match the Wix website's look and feel.
   • Supports over 47 languages, catering to a global audience.

3. Informed Decision-Making

   • Automated scan reports help site owners identify where consent is needed and for which trackers and components.
   • Ensures transparency and thorough compliance with privacy regulations.

4. Auto-Categorization

   • Wix and third-party apps are automatically categorized into the website’s consent banner.
   • Simplifies the management of various trackers and enhances user consent management.

5. Competitive Edge

   • Positions Wix users as privacy-first leaders in a privacy-conscious market.
   • Enhances trust and credibility with site visitors by prioritizing data privacy.

Strategic Partnership Benefits

Asaf Remler, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Wix, stated:

“We’re excited to partner with Usercentrics to offer our users an easy-to-implement solution that increases compliance and empowers website owners. Together we’re setting a new standard for the way Wix users manage user consent. This takes us one step further to building on our strategy to extend product offerings with leading tech partners.”

Felipe Iregui, Global Director Platform Partnerships at Usercentrics, added:

“Our partnership with Wix delivers data privacy and consent management as new standards for businesses and their users. Wix users can now benefit from a trusted, easy-to-implement solution to manage user consent.”

Driving Global Privacy Compliance at Scale

With over 2 million websites and apps already using Usercentrics' solutions, the partnership with Wix aims to further drive global privacy compliance at scale. Cookiebot™ for Wix empowers website owners to provide a transparent user experience, aligning with growing privacy expectations and regulatory demands.

For more information and to start using Cookiebot™ for Wix by Usercentrics, Wix users can access the app directly through their Wix dashboard.

Contact Information:

• Media Contact for Wix: media@wix.com
• Media Contact for Usercentrics: press@usercentrics.com

This collaboration marks a significant step in enhancing privacy compliance and user consent management for Wix users, reinforcing both companies' commitment to data privacy and user empowerment.