Salesforce (CRM): Bullish Outlook Despite Soft Revenue Guidance – Here's Why!
What is the biggest security risk in artificial intelligence? According to CPPCC member Zhou Hongyi, co-founder and chairman of internet security firm Qihoo 360, it is to fall behind.
The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is a political advisory body in China and a key component of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s united front system.
Unlike former President Joe Biden's stance on AI, which was supportive but cautious, current AI leaders, including President Donald Trump, and political advisors in Beijing, are against overregulation in the AI industry.
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The Trump administration has since reversed Biden's AI executive order and launched the Stargate project, reflecting on his pro-innovation stance instead. Likewise, Beijing's political advisors have made remarks ahead of the country's annual parliamentary meetings, advising against overregulating artificial intelligence companies amid a growing debate about the emerging technology.
'We should neither exaggerate nor ignore security issues related to AI. Some leading AI companies in the US exaggerate the security issues of AI as an excuse for not having open-sourced products as they seek a monopoly, so the latecomers cannot catch up.'
Zhou cautioned that China must 'correctly understand' the security risks in AI.
'Falling behind in [AI] development is the biggest security risk. We must seize this opportunity of AI to improve productivity and let everyone benefit from the fruits of the inclusiveness of science and technology'.
Zhang Yi, a senior partner at King & Wood Mallesons and CPPCC member, advised that China needs to develop its own AI rules to ensure stable development but at the same time, needs to be aware that 'overly strong legal intervention might become a rope that strangles the development of AI as global competition intensifies'.
In a race towards supremacy in artificial intelligence, Beijing is working hard and has signaled that it will act cautiously on regulation of the sector. According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, legislation on artificial intelligence is going to be rolled out in an 'orderly' way in response to proposals from the CPPCC.
For this article, we selected AI stocks by going through news articles, stock analysis, and press releases. These stocks are also popular among hedge funds. The hedge fund data is as of Q4 2024.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter's strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points ().
A customer service team in an office setting using the company's Customer 360 platform to communicate with customers.Salesforce Inc (NYSE:CRM) is a cloud-based CRM company that has gained popularity after the launch of its AI-powered platform called Agentforce. On March 3rd, Mizuho Securities analyst Gregg Moskowitz reiterated a 'Buy' rating on the stock and kept the price target at $425.00. The firm is optimistic on the stock based on its strong performance and potential for growth. Salesforce has reported a robust quarter, with cRPO growth demonstrating an impressive 11% increase in constant currency terms.
The early momentum of Salesforce's AI-powered platform Agentforce has also been notable, the firm added. An estimated 5,000 deals have closed since October, contributing to a combined Data Cloud and AI annual recurring revenue of around $900 million. The firm did acknowledge that FY26 revenue guidance fell short of consensus, but believes the market overreacted considering that company fundamentals remain strong. All in all, the firm is bullish on the stock considering Salesforce's strong position in managing its customers' digital transformation efforts and the promising opportunity of Agentforce.
Overall, CRM ranks 6th on our list of AI stocks making big moves today. While we acknowledge the potential of CRM as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than CRM but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the .
READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and Complete List of 59 AI Companies Under $2 Billion in Market Cap
Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
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TechCrunch
a few seconds ago
- TechCrunch
The uproar over Vogue's AI-generated ad isn't just about fashion
Sarah Murray recalls the first time she saw an artificial model in fashion: It was 2023, and a beautiful young woman of color donned a Levi's denim overall dress. Murray, a commercial model herself, said it made her feel sad and exhausted. The iconic denim company had teamed up with the AI studio to create 'diverse' digital fashion models for more inclusive ads. For an industry that has failed for years to employ diverse human models, the backlash was swift, with New York Magazine calling the decision 'artificial diversity.' 'Modeling as a profession is already challenging enough without having to compete with now new digital standards of perfection that can be achieved with AI,' Murray told TechCrunch. Two years later, her worries have compounded. Brands continue to experiment with AI-generated models, to the consternation of many fashion lovers. The latest uproar came after Vogue's July print edition featured a Guess ad with a typical model for the brand: thin yet voluptuous, glossy blond tresses, pouty rose lips. She exemplified North American beauty standards, but there was one problem — she was AI generated. The internet buzzed for days, in large part because the AI-generated beauty showed up in Vogue, the fashion bible that dictates what is and is not acceptable in the industry. The AI-generated model was featured in an advertisement, not a Vogue editorial spread. And Vogue told TechCrunch the ad met its advertising standards. To many, an ad versus an editorial is a distinction without a difference. TechCrunch spoke to fashion models, experts, and technologists to get a sense of where the industry is headed now that Vogue seems to have put a stamp of approval on technology that's poised to dramatically change the fashion industry. Techcrunch event Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They're here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don't miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $675 before prices rise. Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They're here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don't miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $675 before prices rise. San Francisco | REGISTER NOW They said the Guess ad drama highlights questions arising within creative industries being touched by AI's silicon fingers: When high-quality creative work can be done by AI in a fraction of the time and cost, what's the point of humans? And in the world of fashion, what happens to the humans — the models, photographers, stylists, and set designers — performing those jobs? 'It's just so much cheaper' Sinead Bovell, a model and founder of the WAYE organization who wrote about CGI models for Vogue five years ago, told TechCrunch that 'e-commerce models' are most under threat of automation. E-commerce models are the ones who pose for advertisements or display clothes and accessories for online shoppers. Compared to high-fashion models, whose striking, often unattainable looks are featured in editorial spreads and on runways, they're more realistic and relatable. 'E-commerce is where most models make their bread and butter,' Bovell said. 'It's not necessarily the path to model fame or model prestige, but it is the path for financial security.' sinead bovell, founder & model Image Credits:Sinead Bovell That fact is running in direct contrast to the pressure many brands feel to automate such shoots. Paul Mouginot, an art technologist who has worked with luxury brands, said it's simply expensive to work with live models, especially when it comes to photographing them in countless garments, shoes, and accessories. 'AI now lets you start with a flat-lay product shoot, place it on a photorealistic virtual model, and even position that model in a coherent setting, producing images that look like genuine fashion editorials,' he told TechCrunch. Brands, in some ways, have been doing this for a while, he said. Mouginot, who is French, cited the French retailer Veepee as an example of a company that has used virtual mannequins to sell clothes since at least 2013. Other notable brands like H&M, Mango, and Calvin Klein have also resorted to AI models. Amy Odell, a fashion writer and author of a recently published biography on Gwyneth Paltrow, put it more simply: 'It's just so much cheaper for [brands] to use AI models now. Brands need a lot of content, and it just adds up. So if they can save money on their print ad or their TikTok feed, they will.' PJ Pereira, co-founder of AI ad firm Silverside AI, said it really comes down to scale. Every conversation he's had with fashion brands circles around the fact that the entire marketing system was built for a world where brands produced just four big pieces of content per year. Social media and e-commerce has changed that, and now they need anywhere from 400 to 400,000 pieces; it's too expensive for brands, especially small ones, to keep up. 'There's no way to scale from four to 400 or 400,000 with just process tweaks,' he added. 'You need a new system. People get angry. They assume this is about taking money away from artists and models. But that's not what I've seen.' From 'diverse' models to AI avatars Murray, a commercial model, understands the cost benefits of using AI models, but only to an extent. sarah murray Image Credits:Courtesy of Sarah Murray She lamented that brands like Levi's claim AI is only meant to supplement human talent, not take away. 'If those [brands] ever had the opportunity to stand in line at an open casting call, they would know about the endless amounts of models, including myself, that would dream of opportunities to work with their brands,' she said. 'They would never need to supplement with anything fake.' She thinks such a shift will impact 'non-traditional' — think, diverse — commercial models, such as herself. That was the main problem with the Levi's ad. Rather than hiring diverse talent, it artificially generated it. Bovell calls this 'robot cultural appropriation,' or the idea that brands can just generate certain, especially diverse, identities to tell a brand story, even if the person who created the technology isn't of that same identity. And though Pereira argues that it's unrealistic to shoot every garment on every type of model, that hasn't calmed the fears many diverse models have about what's to come. 'We already see an unprecedented use of certain terms in our contracts that we worry indicate that we are possibly signing away our rights for a brand to use our face and anything recognizable as ourselves to train their future AI systems,' Murray said. Some see generating likenesses of models as a way forward in the AI era. Sara Ziff, a former model and founder of the Model Alliance, is working to pass the Fashion Workers Act, which would require brands to get a model's clear consent and provide compensation for using their digital replicas. Mouginot said this lets models appear at several shoots on the same day and possibly generate additional income. That's 'precious when a sought-after model is already traveling constantly,' he continued. But at the same time, whenever an avatar is hired, human labor is replaced. 'What few players gain can mean fewer opportunities for many others.' If anything, Bovell said the bar is now higher for models looking to compete with the distinctive and the digitized. She suggested that models use their platforms to build their personal brands, differentiate themselves, and work on new revenue streams like podcasting or brand endorsements. 'Start to take those opportunities to tell your unique human story,' she said. 'AI will never have a unique human story.' That sort of entrepreneurial mindset is becoming table stakes across industries — from journalism to coding — as AI creates the conditions for the most self-directed learners to rise. Room for another view Artcare AI-generated model. Image Credits:Artcare Mouginot sees a world where some platforms stop working with human models altogether, though he also believes humans share a desire for the 'sensual reality of objects, for a touch of imperfection and for human connection.' 'Many breakthrough models succeed precisely because of a distinctive trait, teeth, gaze, attitude, that is slightly imperfect by strict standards yet utterly charming,' he said. 'Such nuances are hard to erode in zeros and ones.' This is where startup and creative studio Artcare thrives, according to Sandrine Decorde, the firm's CEO and co-founder. She refers to her team as 'AI artisans,' creative people who use tools like Flux from Black Forest Labs to fine-tune AI-generated models that have that touch of unique humanity. Much of the work Decorde's firm does today involves producing AI-generated babies and children for brands. Employing minors in the fashion industry has historically been a gray area rife with exploitation and abuse. Ethically, Decorde argues, bringing generative AI to children's fashion makes sense, particularly when the market demand is so high. 'It's like sewing; it's very delicate,' she told TechCrunch, referring to creating AI-generated models. 'The more time we spend on our datasets and image refinements, the better and more consistent our models are.' Screenshot from Seraphinne Vallora's Instagram page. Image Credits:Seraphinne Vallora Part of the work is building out a library of distinctive artifacts. Decorde noted that many AI-generated models — like the ones created by Seraphinne Vallora, the agency behind Vogue's Guess ad — are too homogenous. Their lips are too perfect and symmetrical. Their jawlines are all the same. 'Imagery needs to make an impact,' Decorde said, noting that many fashion brands like to work exclusively with certain models, a desire that has spilled over into AI-generated models. 'A model embodies a fashion brand.' Pereira added that his firm combats homogeneity in AI 'with intention' and warned that as more content gets made by more people who aren't intentional, all of the output feeds back into computer models, amplifying bias. 'Just like you would cast for a wide range of models, you have to prompt for that,' he said. 'You need to train [models] with a wide range of appearances. Because if you don't, the AI will reflect whatever biases it was trained on.' An AI future is promised, but uncertain The usage of AI modeling technology in fashion is mostly still in its experimental phase, Claudia Wagner, founder of modeling booking platform Ubooker, told TechCrunch. She and her team saw the Guess ad and said it was interesting technically, but it wasn't impactful or new. H&M Digital model Image Credits:H&M 'It feels like another example of a brand using AI to be part of the current narrative,' she told TechCrunch. 'We're all in a phase of testing and exploring what AI can add — but the real value will come when it's used with purpose, not just for visibility.' Brands are getting visibility from using AI — and the Guess ad is the latest example. Pereira said his firm recently tested a fully AI-generated product video on TikTok that got more than a million views with mostly negative comments. 'But if you look past the comments, you see that there's a silent majority — almost 20x engagement — that vastly outnumber the criticism,' he continued. 'The click-through rate was 30x the number of complaints, and the product saw a steep hike in sales.' He, like Wagner, doesn't think AI models are going away anytime soon. If anything, the process of using AI will be integrated into the creative workflow. 'Some brands feel good about using fully artificial models,' Pereira said. 'Others prefer starting with real people and licensing their likeness to build synthetic shoots. And some brands simply don't want to do it — they worry their audiences won't accept it.' Wagner said what is becoming evident is that human talent remains central, especially when authenticity and identity are part of a brand's story. That's especially true for luxury heritage brands, which are usually slow to adopt new technologies. Though Decorde noted many high-fashion brands are quietly experimenting with AI, Mouginot said many are still trying to define their AI policies and are avoiding fully AI-generated people at the moment. It's one reason why Vogue's inclusion of an AI model was such a shock. Bovell pondered if the ad was Vogue's way of testing how the world would react to merging high fashion with AI. So far the reaction hasn't been great. It's unclear if the magazine thinks it ride out the backlash. 'What Vogue does matters,' Odell said. 'If Vogue ends up doing editorials with AI models, I think that's going to make it okay. In the same way the industry was really resistant to Kim Kardashian and then Vogue featured her. Then it was okay.'
Fox News
27 minutes ago
- Fox News
Don't be fooled. Mamdani isn't the future of the Democratic Party. These two patriotic women are
It has been over a year since President Joe Biden made one of the hardest decisions in political history and announced that he would not seek re-election. Since that day, and the day that Vice President Harris's lost in November, the Democratic Party has been in a full-blown identity crisis. We started a full-blown autopsy, we started looking for new messages, new leaders, new formats, and new language. We are investing millions to "study" how to connect with male voters. The holy grail is "authenticity," which means speak like a normal human. (That includes curse words, which bodes well for this New Yorker—swearing is our native tongue.) We are listening to anyone who says they have the secret formula. That is why, when Zohran Mamdani energized young voters in NYC, everyone, especially the media, turned their attention to him. He capitalized on anger and frustration with inaction in Washington, connected with voters' concerns about affordability, and used social media masterfully, running rings around his older, squarer opponents. He was hip, and he was "real." But all the hyperventilating is premature. Mamdani won a multi-candidate Democratic primary in a deep blue city, held on a 100-degree day in June. He received less than 600,000 votes in a city of over 8 million. So, let's not let social media tell us that he is the future of the Democratic Party. I'm a NYC Democrat and I don't remember anyone outside of the five boroughs caring what Mayor Bloomberg, DiBlasio, or Adams did on the national level. If you are a Democrat running anywhere outside of the blue bubble cities, and especially if you're trying to flip a seat from red to blue, you cast your gaze across the Hudson and south for the blueprint you need. Hop on Amtrak and disembark in Trenton, New Jersey or Richmond, Virginia, and the answer will be right in front of you. What you will see are two candidates who have national security credentials that would let Democrats win back the patriotic and military voters because they can walk the walk, not just talk it like Republicans have in the past. What you will see are candidates that have proven bipartisan track records in Congress of getting shit done. These two candidates are Mikie Sherill and Abigail Spanberger. They are real and authentic. They are what would be created if liberals and moderates, swing voters and suburban moms, young men and military hawks, and values-based, pragmatic Democrats with national appeal all gave their input to ChatGPT. These are two women Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., could campaign with, and Sen. Joe Manchin, my former boss, could work with. To quote Mr Mamdani, we should learn how to say their names because we have to get it right. So why aren't they being elevated as the future or blueprint for success? Don't tell me it's because they haven't won their general elections yet. That has never stopped us before. I'm old enough to remember Howard Dean and Beto O'Rourke being crowned as saviors of the left before they won anything. I've read "What's the Matter with Kansas?" I'm familiar with the Abundance movement. I'm not knocking any of them. But let's be honest: we've gone looking for answers in far less proven places. Maybe it's gender. Maybe we have a harder time seeing two tough, competent, patriotic women as the leaders who could rebuild our Party's coalition. If you look at their records and accomplishments, they've walked the walk, many of their male colleagues just talk about. They're not fantasy candidates. They're not focus-group fabrications. They're real leaders with real records, with national security credentials, bipartisan chops, and electoral success in places that aren't easy for Democrats. They appeal to swing voters, military families, independents, union members, and suburban moderates—all the people we keep saying we need to win back. And they did it without changing who they are, bending to the winds of polling or message-tested language. They did it by being who they have been since they were first elected in 2018. Abigail is a former CIA undercover agent who prevented terrorist attacks and tracked transnational gangs and was also a Postal Inspection Officer who investigated child predators and narcotics traffickers. In Congress, she passed bipartisan legislation to prevent fentanyl overdoses, allowed Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices, and put more cops on the streets of local cities. Mikie served 10 years as a Naval helicopter pilot and led missions throughout Europe and the Middle East. She was a Russian policy officer aiding in the implementation of our nuclear treaty obligations and oversaw the relationship between the U.S. Navy and Russian Federation Navy. After that, she joined the U.S. Attorney's Office to help people leaving prison gain employment, housing, and education to restart their lives, and then as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, she prosecuted federal cases to keep illegal guns off our streets. In Congress, she was influential in helping pass the most significant investment in roads, bridges, and transportation in 50 years, as well as the bill that brought manufacturing companies and investments back from China to the U.S. These aren't exactly the career paths of career politicians. These are values-based, pragmatic Democrats with national appeal—people Elizabeth Warren could campaign with, and Joe Manchin could work with. They aren't yelling into the void or stoking culture wars. They aren't on cable news every night and social media all day. They are solving problems that matter to working families, and they've got the records to prove it. And somehow, they've done all that without needing to shout about it to the media. So, instead of searching for new slogans, influencers, or magic polling words, maybe it's time to look up from our phones and social media platforms and see what's right in front of us.
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Bunge Global SA Just Beat EPS By 134%: Here's What Analysts Think Will Happen Next
Bunge Global SA (NYSE:BG) just released its latest quarterly results and things are looking bullish. It was overall a positive result, with revenues beating expectations by 2.8% to hit US$13b. Bunge Global also reported a statutory profit of US$2.61, which was an impressive 134% above what the analysts had forecast. The analysts typically update their forecasts at each earnings report, and we can judge from their estimates whether their view of the company has changed or if there are any new concerns to be aware of. With this in mind, we've gathered the latest statutory forecasts to see what the analysts are expecting for next year. AI is about to change healthcare. These 20 stocks are working on everything from early diagnostics to drug discovery. The best part - they are all under $10bn in marketcap - there is still time to get in early. After the latest results, the twin analysts covering Bunge Global are now predicting revenues of US$64.1b in 2025. If met, this would reflect a substantial 26% improvement in revenue compared to the last 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are predicted to rise 6.4% to US$7.33. Before this earnings report, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of US$52.7b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$7.70 in 2025. Although revenue sentiment looks to be improving, the analysts have made a small dip in per-share earnings estimates, perhaps acknowledging the investment required to grow the business. View our latest analysis for Bunge Global The consensus price target was unchanged at US$88.00, suggesting the business is performing roughly in line with expectations, despite some adjustments to profit and revenue forecasts. One way to get more context on these forecasts is to look at how they compare to both past performance, and how other companies in the same industry are performing. The analysts are definitely expecting Bunge Global's growth to accelerate, with the forecast 59% annualised growth to the end of 2025 ranking favourably alongside historical growth of 3.9% per annum over the past five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in a similar industry are forecast to grow their revenue at 3.2% per year. Factoring in the forecast acceleration in revenue, it's pretty clear that Bunge Global is expected to grow much faster than its industry. The Bottom Line The biggest concern is that the analysts reduced their earnings per share estimates, suggesting business headwinds could lay ahead for Bunge Global. Happily, they also upgraded their revenue estimates, and are forecasting them to grow faster than the wider industry. There was no real change to the consensus price target, suggesting that the intrinsic value of the business has not undergone any major changes with the latest estimates. With that in mind, we wouldn't be too quick to come to a conclusion on Bunge Global. Long-term earnings power is much more important than next year's profits. We have analyst estimates for Bunge Global going out as far as 2026, and you can see them free on our platform here. You still need to take note of risks, for example - Bunge Global has 4 warning signs (and 2 which can't be ignored) we think you should know about. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
