In a move underscoring China’s growing influence in intelligent vehicle technology, smart has launched its first plug-in hybrid, the smart #5 EHD, powered by DeepRoute.ai’s assisted driving system. The partnership marks a major milestone in the collaboration between global automakers and Chinese AI innovators, combining luxury engineering with advanced autonomous technology.

During a joint test drive, DeepRoute.ai CEO Maxwell Zhou and smart Global CTO Yang Jun covered 30.9 kilometers of complex urban terrain—without a single driver takeover. The route included unprotected left turns, construction zones, dense traffic, and unmarked lanes, providing a rigorous test of the technology’s adaptability.

Map-Free Driving That Feels Human

DeepRoute.ai’s system impressed with its ability to recognize pedestrians, cyclists, and emergency vehicles while maintaining smooth, confident control. Its human-like decision-making demonstrated not only the precision of its algorithms but also its readiness for large-scale production.

“We believe the future of autonomous driving must prioritize safety and intuitive, human-like behavior—qualities we see in DeepRoute.ai’s technology,” said Yang Jun, Global CTO of smart. “When others questioned map-free technology, we chose to lead. This test proved that safety is the greatest luxury.”

Engineering for Scale and Reliability

DeepRoute.ai brings more than just technical sophistication—it brings proof of scale. “We’ve already delivered around 150,000 production vehicles globally, validating our engineering and manufacturing maturity,” said Maxwell Zhou, CEO of DeepRoute.ai. “Smart’s trust in our map-free technology reflects a shared vision of intelligent, accessible autonomy.”

The smart #5 EHD extends DeepRoute.ai’s proven technology from fully electric vehicles to plug-in hybrid platforms, advancing the goal of mainstream autonomous driving. The system addresses key industry pain points, including urban navigation complexity, data integration, and system scalability—areas where many traditional OEMs still struggle.

A Glimpse at the Next Phase of Intelligent Mobility

Looking forward, DeepRoute.ai is developing an integrated agent-based architecture that blends in-cabin AI models with intelligent driving systems. This convergence aims to create vehicles that can understand context, interact naturally with drivers, and anticipate needs—ushering in a new era of AI-driven mobility experiences.

Redefining the Assisted Driving Standard

The partnership between smart and DeepRoute.ai demonstrates how luxury and technology can coexist without compromise. It’s not just about automation—it’s about building trust through intelligence, safety, and seamless interaction.

By merging smart’s design DNA with DeepRoute.ai’s production-ready platform, the smart #5 EHD stands as a tangible example of what’s next for the automotive industry: intuitive, scalable, and human-centered assisted driving built for the connected age.

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OPAQUE, the leader in Confidential AI, has launched OPAQUE Studio, a new LangGraph-based environment for building and deploying secure, verifiable AI agents. Now available on the OPAQUE Confidential AI Platform, Studio enables organizations to accelerate development with runtime-verifiable trust—a feature that provides privacy and compliance assurance before, during, and after execution.

The launch positions OPAQUE as the first company to deliver end-to-end privacy and policy compliance guarantees for enterprise-grade AI agents, setting a new standard for secure, production-ready AI deployment.

From Early Concept to Enterprise Mandate

Confidential AI has evolved from a niche concept to a boardroom priority within a year, gaining support from NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, Anthropic, and cloud providers including Google, Microsoft Azure, and AWS.

According to Gartner, confidential AI is becoming a foundational requirement for industries like finance, healthcare, and insurance. Enterprises unable to prove compliance in AI workflows, the report warns, could fall two years behind in adoption.

OPAQUE aims to close that gap. “A company’s most valuable asset is its proprietary data,” said Aaron Fulkerson, CEO of OPAQUE. “With OPAQUE, enterprises can safely harness their sensitive data to fuel AI—knowing privacy and compliance are verifiable, not just promised.”

Solving the Privacy Problem in AI

Traditional security tools—like Identity and Access Management—aren’t built for AI agents executing probabilistic code. They fail to prevent data exposure during runtime.

OPAQUE’s Confidential AI Platform addresses this by combining secure execution environments with policy-based controls that verify data isolation and compliance in real time. The result: enterprises can finally deploy AI agents trained on sensitive, proprietary data without risking leaks or breaches.

Key components include:

• OPAQUE Studio: A LangGraph-based, drag-and-drop workspace for creating confidential AI agents. Developers can enforce data access policies, integrate enterprise systems, and quickly move from prototype to production.

• OPAQUE Confidential Runtime: A hardware-attested engine that provides cryptographic privacy enforcement, runtime encryption, and post-execution audit logs for compliance verification.

Together, these components deliver:

• 4–5x faster AI deployment with verifiable compliance

• 67% cost reduction in production workloads

• Up to 99% accuracy improvement by safely grounding AI in sensitive data

A Partnership for Scalable, Trustworthy AI

“We built LangGraph to help developers design structured multi-agent systems,” said Harrison Chase, co-founder and CEO of LangChain. “Integrating with OPAQUE adds a layer of privacy and runtime trust—essential for teams working with sensitive data.”

OPAQUE’s customer and partner ecosystem already spans ServiceNow, Accenture, Encore Capital, Bloomfilter, RiskStream, and Anthropic. Early adopters across financial services, insurance, and software are leveraging OPAQUE to transform operations through confidential AI copilots and secure document analysis.

The Future of Confidential, Verifiable AI

OPAQUE’s approach represents the next step in AI evolution—where security, transparency, and scalability converge. By giving enterprises verifiable proof of compliance and privacy, OPAQUE transforms AI from a compliance risk into a competitive advantage.

In a world where data is both the engine and the liability of AI, OPAQUE Studio offers something rare: trust you can prove.

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Ooma, Inc., a leading provider of business and consumer communications services, has announced that its Ooma Office business phone system now integrates with Zapier, a no-code automation platform that connects over 8,000 popular business applications. The new integration empowers small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to automate repetitive tasks, streamline data flow, and eliminate manual updates between Ooma and their favorite business tools.

A Smarter, Seamless Way to Work

With this integration, Ooma Office administrators can easily connect their account within Zapier and tap into key Ooma triggers—such as New Call, SMS, or Call Recording events. Once configured, these triggers can automatically initiate workflows across other platforms. For instance, an incoming call could instantly log details in Google Sheets or send a real-time notification to a Slack channel.

The integration also supports Actions, allowing users to execute Ooma events based on activity in other apps. For example, when a new contact is added in Google Contacts, Zapier can automatically save it as a Personal Contact in Ooma Office. This bi-directional flexibility enables dynamic, time-saving automations that keep systems synchronized without manual input.

Expanding the Ooma Productivity Ecosystem

The Zapier connection builds on Ooma’s growing suite of integrations designed to enhance business communication and workflow efficiency. Ooma Office already connects with leading business tools such as Salesforce, QuickBooks, and Square, offering users a unified hub for managing communications, sales, and operations.

“We’re excited to see what our customers can do with the freedom and power of automated workflows built with Zapier,” said Dennis Peng, Senior Vice President of Product Management at Ooma. “We expect they’ll find new ways to make Ooma Office even more productive.”

Streamlining Communication in a No-Code Era

The integration reflects a broader industry trend toward no-code automation—a movement allowing businesses to connect systems and streamline workflows without developer support. Platforms like Zapier have become indispensable for SMBs seeking to scale operations, reduce administrative overhead, and improve response times in a competitive digital landscape.

By embedding automation directly into its communications platform, Ooma positions itself as more than a VoIP provider—it’s now part of the automation-first movement redefining how modern teams operate.

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Switzerland is rapidly emerging as a leader in the global AI-powered future of work, outpacing much of Europe in adopting automation, hybrid models, and responsible AI frameworks. According to a new report from Information Services Group (ISG), Swiss enterprises are moving beyond experimentation and into large-scale implementation of AI technologies — particularly autonomous agentic systems designed to boost efficiency, agility, and decision-making.

From Experimentation to Execution

“AI adoption in Switzerland has moved beyond experimentation to large-scale implementation,” said Uwe Ladwig, Managing Director at ISG. “The challenge now is to use AI to create new ways of working that enhance both productivity and employee well-being.”

The 2025 ISG Provider Lens® Future of Work Services report for Switzerland highlights how companies are developing transparent, responsible AI frameworks to build trust and ensure sustainable performance. These efforts reflect a broader shift from deploying AI as a tool for automation to embedding it within organizational culture and governance.

Governance, ESG, and the Employee-Centric Workplace

As AI adoption scales, governance has become a top priority in evaluating technology service providers. Enterprises are demanding clear accountability, explainability, and compliance structures before integrating AI into daily operations.

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) mandates are also reshaping workplace modernization. Businesses are investing in carbon tracking, circular IT, and sustainability metrics as part of their digital strategies. Equally important, organizations are prioritizing employee-centric design to ensure that AI and digital tools enhance the overall workplace experience.

Redefining Collaboration and Productivity

Collaboration in Swiss enterprises is evolving rapidly as generative AI tools, including Microsoft Copilot, reshape productivity workflows. The report notes a shift from traditional service-level metrics to user experience and engagement indicators, helping companies quantify adoption and satisfaction.

This trend has led organizations to favor vendor-agnostic, interoperable systems that align with Swiss compliance and data protection laws. System integrators delivering flexible, AI-ready collaboration solutions are now in high demand.

Balancing Localized Compliance with Global Platforms

Swiss companies are navigating the balance between localized, regulation-focused support and the scalability of global AI-driven platforms. The digital employee experience (DEX) has emerged as a central theme, supported by telemetry and AI analytics that proactively detect and resolve performance issues.

Many enterprises are adopting Device-as-a-Service (DaaS) models for predictable costs, sustainable lifecycle management, and operational resilience. The reliance on nationwide field services remains crucial for maintaining continuity and meeting sustainability targets.

Mature AI Adoption and Emerging Trends

“Swiss enterprises are approaching AI adoption with notable maturity,” said Roman Pelzel, Principal Analyst at ISG. “They use strong governance to embed reliability and accountability into AI systems, ensuring consistent, transparent outcomes.”

The report also identifies rising interest in AIOps (AI for IT Operations) for intelligent automation and industry-specific workplace solutions designed to address unique vertical needs.

The Leaders of Switzerland’s Future of Work

The ISG analysis evaluated 40 service providers across six quadrants, spotlighting leaders such as Swisscom, TCS, and Wipro, which were recognized across all categories. Other notable leaders include Bechtle, Accenture, Capgemini, Deloitte, DXC Technology, and HCLTech.

Meanwhile, Stefanini, ITRIS One, NTT DATA, and Ricoh were named Rising Stars — firms with high potential and strong growth trajectories. Microland earned the title of ISG CX Star Performer for 2025, achieving the highest customer satisfaction scores among global workplace service providers.

A Model for Responsible, AI-Driven Innovation

Switzerland’s proactive approach to AI regulation, combined with a workforce focused on innovation and trust, has positioned the country as a blueprint for Europe’s digital transformation. As enterprises continue to integrate AI across operations, the Swiss model shows that productivity and responsibility can go hand in hand.

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In a move that strengthens its position at the intersection of technology and public policy, FiscalNote Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: NOTE) has unveiled a major update to its flagship policy intelligence platform, PolicyNote. The company has integrated data from VoterVoice, its trusted grassroots advocacy solution, creating a unified system for tracking influence across both grasstops and grassroots efforts.

A Unified View of Political Influence

For years, VoterVoice has helped more than 2,000 organizations connect with lawmakers, mobilize supporters, and shape policy outcomes. By merging VoterVoice data with PolicyNote’s policy monitoring and stakeholder management tools, FiscalNote is now offering a single, comprehensive dashboard where professionals can view campaign activity, constituent engagement, and policymaker relationships all in one place.

This integration means that users can analyze how community actions—such as calls, tweets, and letters—correlate with direct stakeholder outreach, allowing for more strategic advocacy planning.

Empowering Policy Professionals with Context

“Policy professionals are judged on results across multiple channels,” said Josh Resnik, CEO and President of FiscalNote. “By integrating grassroots campaign activity directly into PolicyNote, we’re providing a more holistic view of their full influence—from stakeholder engagement to community mobilization. It’s a powerful expansion of our PolicyNote platform, helping to drive real outcomes for our customers in a chaotic and complex policy environment.”

The enhancement underscores FiscalNote’s broader mission: to bring AI-driven policy and regulatory intelligence into a more actionable, data-rich ecosystem. With this latest update, advocacy teams can finally visualize how grassroots efforts complement grasstops strategies, streamlining engagement and improving overall policy impact.

New Capabilities Inside PolicyNote

The integration introduces several powerful features designed to enhance visibility and insight:

• Stakeholder Context: Users can view constituent and campaign data from VoterVoice directly within individual stakeholder records.

• District-Level Insights: The platform now provides advocate and contact counts by legislative district, offering regional granularity at a glance.

• Campaign Activity Tracking: Teams can monitor outreach—emails, calls, tweets, and letters—tied to each stakeholder, ensuring no touchpoint goes unnoticed.

Before meeting a legislator, for example, users can instantly see both direct engagements and grassroots activity within that district, providing a 360-degree view of influence.

Connecting the Dots Between Advocacy and Intelligence

This integration signals FiscalNote’s continued commitment to breaking down silos in the policy engagement process. By consolidating campaign and stakeholder data, PolicyNote now gives organizations the tools to measure what truly matters—how their advocacy moves the needle on real-world outcomes.

As the policy landscape grows more complex and data-driven, FiscalNote’s unified approach could become a blueprint for modern advocacy operations, enabling policy teams to act faster, coordinate better, and prove the value of their influence.

The new grassroots data integration is now live for all clients using both PolicyNote and VoterVoice, marking another step forward in FiscalNote’s mission to make policy intelligence more connected, contextual, and impactful.

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The Channel Marketing Association (CMA) has launched ChannelGTM.ai, a purpose-built AI service designed to help vendor-side channel professionals simplify and accelerate go-to-market (GTM) strategy and execution.

Developed in collaboration with Structured and channelWise, the platform combines enterprise-grade AI orchestration with deep channel marketing expertise. Powered by Structured’s AI engine and implemented by channelWise, ChannelGTM.ai delivers actionable, context-rich insights that help channel leaders plan smarter, make faster decisions, and prove ROI with greater confidence.

“CMA is equipping their members to better understand and activate proven channel strategies through an AI solution tailored to their real-world needs,” said Daniel Nissan, Founder and CEO of Structured.

The collaboration brings together three key players:

• CMA curates channel strategy content and drives adoption among members.

• Structured powers the AI infrastructure with security and scalability.

• channelWise oversees implementation to align functionality with field realities.

“Our goal with ChannelGTM.ai is simple: help channel professionals plan smarter, execute faster, and prove ROI with confidence,” said Kathryn Rose, Co-Founder of CMA and CEO of channelWise.

ChannelGTM.ai is tailored for vendor-side channel teams, offering domain-trained intelligence in critical GTM areas — from program design, partner enablement, and campaign planning to ROI measurement and partner performance reporting. Unlike general-purpose AI tools, it draws on CMA’s extensive library of channel-specific insights to provide accurate, real-time guidance.

“After 25 years in channel marketing, I’ve seen the challenges of executing GTM strategies,” said Diane Brode, former Senior Director of Global Partner Marketing at Dell Technologies and CMA Board Member. “ChannelGTM.ai feels like having decades of best practices built into one intuitive experience.”

With ChannelGTM.ai, CMA aims to make the complex discipline of channel GTM more accessible, data-driven, and AI-empowered.

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Enterprises across Australia are fast-tracking the adoption of AI-driven and hybrid contact center models to enhance efficiency, compliance, and customer experience, according to a new Information Services Group (ISG) report.

The 2025 ISG Provider Lens® Contact Center — Customer Experience Services report reveals that Australian companies are modernizing operations to meet rising expectations for personalized, omnichannel interactions. The shift marks a move away from cost-centric outsourcing toward blended sourcing models that balance efficiency with quality and cultural alignment.

“Australia’s contact center transformations are marked by the convergence of AI adoption, increasing regulation, and continuing need for cost efficiencies,” said Himanshu Chawla, Director at ISG. “Enterprises are embedding intelligence into every layer of CX delivery to enhance productivity while meeting evolving customer expectations.”

Generative AI Moves from Pilot to Production

Australian organizations are integrating Generative AI (GenAI) into customer operations, deploying tools such as chat summarization, real-time coaching, and automated knowledge systems. These innovations are driving measurable gains in response speed and satisfaction while scaling consistent service outcomes. However, ISG notes that enterprises remain cautious about AI hallucinations, transparency, and explainability, particularly in regulated sectors like healthcare and government.

Hybrid Delivery and Cloud Modernization

Enterprises are increasingly turning to hybrid delivery models that balance cost optimization with data sovereignty and security. Many are blending onshore centers with nearshore operations in New Zealand and the Philippines, while emerging markets such as Fiji and Vietnam are becoming strategic for expansion.

At the same time, cloud platform modernization is accelerating, with companies consolidating operations on scalable platforms such as Genesys Cloud, Amazon Connect, and Microsoft Dynamics. This integration of AI, analytics, and workforce optimization enables more personalized customer journeys and improved resolution rates.

“Enterprises in Australia are redefining customer experience by combining digital innovation with empowered human interaction,” said Hemangi Patel, Senior Manager and Principal Analyst at ISG. “The most successful organizations are those that implement automation effectively while preparing human agents for complex, high-value interactions.”

Rising Focus on Employee Experience and Outcomes

The report also highlights growing investments in agent experience and well-being tools, alongside the rise of outcome-based provider pricing models tied to measurable customer metrics.

ISG evaluated 27 providers across Digital Operations and Intelligent Operations quadrants. Acquire Intelligence, Concentrix, Datacom, Foundever, Probe Group, Tech Mahindra, TP, and TSA were named Leaders in both quadrants. Genpact, TTEC, and WNS led in one quadrant each, while Genpact and HCLTech earned Rising Star recognition. Konecta was named the global ISG CX Star Performer for 2025, achieving the highest customer satisfaction scores in ISG’s Voice of the Customer survey.

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Marketers are struggling to trust their own data. According to a new report from TransUnion (NYSE: TRU) and eMarketer, The True Cost of Trust in Marketing Measurement, confidence in marketing metrics has plateaued — even as technology promises greater clarity.

The survey of 196 U.S. marketers revealed that while 62% feel somewhat confident in their performance measurement, over half (54%) said confidence levels haven’t changed from last year. Alarmingly, 14% admitted their trust has declined.

“Marketers have access to more data than ever before, yet effective and trustworthy measurement is getting harder — not easier — to come by,” said Brian Silver, Executive Vice President of Global Marketing Solutions at TransUnion.

Internal Doubt Threatens Marketing Budgets

The lack of faith isn’t just a morale issue — it’s costing real money. The study found that 60% of marketers face internal skepticism, with stakeholders frequently questioning the reliability of their metrics. Nearly one-third said that up to 20% of their marketing budgets have been frozen or redirected due to uncertainty around measurement accuracy.

To counter that, 67% of marketers now focus on incremental ROI, followed closely by business-outcome alignment (66%) and cross-channel attribution (55%). The takeaway is clear: performance proof has never been more essential.

Data Fragmentation Fuels Distrust

Marketers identified siloed data (49%), cross-channel duplication (48%), and walled-garden reporting limits (41%) as the biggest barriers to accurate measurement.

“The key to unified measurement is unified data,” said Jeremy Rose, Head of Unified Marketing Measurement at Bayer. “Interoperability is no longer optional — it’s essential to connect systems that were never meant to work together.”

In a landscape where consumer journeys span dozens of platforms, fragmented insights often lead to conflicting conclusions. Without a consistent data framework, brands risk losing both efficiency and credibility.

Budget Cuts Push AI and Long-Term Strategy

Despite the challenges, the study points to a major shift in how marketers plan to restore trust — through AI and smarter modeling. With almost 30% of respondents facing cuts to analytics budgets, 50% are turning to AI or machine learning to automate reporting, while 40% see data analysis as the leading AI use case.

Still, dissatisfaction with existing tools remains high (26%). As a result, nearly half (47%) plan to increase spending on Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM), and 35% intend to invest more in Multitouch Attribution (MTA) over the next year.

“The days of monolithic measurement are over,” Silver added. “AI-enabled data management will unite methodologies like MMM, MTA, and incrementality testing.”

The Bottom Line

The TransUnion–eMarketer study exposes a paradox at the heart of digital marketing: more data hasn’t meant more confidence. As privacy laws, walled gardens, and cross-channel fragmentation reshape the ecosystem, marketers must evolve from collecting data to connecting it.

AI may not be a cure-all, but for now, it’s the best shot marketers have at turning measurement chaos into measurable clarity.

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