Latest news with #OpenAI-powered
Miami Herald
07-07-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Haven't made a will yet? startup has new AI tool to help
In 2017, Cody Barbo told a room of investors that he was getting married in a month. His friend asked him this question: "Hey man, you're getting married. Do you have a will?" Barbo froze, threw out a mild swear word and answered, "I should probably have one." Barbo is the CEO of Trust & Will, a San Diego company that simplifies the creation of estate planning documents by drafting documents with its lawyer-vetted software. Eight years later, Barbo is married and his family has grown. So has his company. Trust & Will, based in San Diego's Bankers Hill, has helped more than 1 million families make estate plans, Barbo said in an interview from his Dallas home office. "Normally you pay thousands of dollars up front to do this with an attorney, or hundreds to thousands of dollars for those updates, for that ongoing guidance," he said. "This is the democratization of estate planning." It has raised more than $80 million from venture capital and corporate investors including Moderne Ventures, American Express, AARP and Northwestern Mutual. Last year, the company became "cash-flow positive," startup speak for hitting profitability, and then secured a Series C round of capital this year. It employs around 110 people, up from around 80 in 2023. And last week, it announced the launch of a new AI-powered platform called EstateOS, which Barbo says will make estate planning even easier, more efficient, more personalized and more broadly accessible. It also turns Trust & Will - one of several companies that digitally create estate plans - into what Barbo says is "the first company to launch an AI-integrated estate planning platform at scale, specifically designed for both consumers and financial professionals. While others may be experimenting with AI, EstateOS is the first comprehensive system combining Trust & Will's proprietary estate planning software with embedded OpenAI-powered tools to streamline creation, review, and updates of estate plans." New tools, an AI boost Using proprietary software and OpenAI, EstateOS delivers four features that are "intelligent upgrades of previously manual or slower processes," Barbo said, who co-founded the company with Daniel Goldstein and Brian Lamb. Some of the new features will appeal to U.S. consumers - only 31% of which have a will, according to a company survey of 10,000 people - and others will appeal to the company's industry targets: financial planners, life insurance agents, nonprofits and attorneys, he added. One feature, called PlanScore, does what its name suggests: It "scores" estate plans with a rating system that helps customers find blind spots and figure out where their estate plan needs buttressing. Another is an AI assistant that lets users ask questions and have the answer served instantly. Instead of digging around to find out who was named as a guardian, Barbo said, you can ask who the guardian is and get reminded that it is your mother-in-law. A third feature is document extraction, which will summarize and mine user-submitted documents for useful or actionable data and workflows. This could be especially useful for people who have drawn estate plans that are "just sitting in a box in the closet." The last feature streamlines communication - and client prospecting. The "Connected Networks" tool brings together parties connected to an account, including executors, beneficiaries, attorneys and financial advisers, into a shared platform. That can make deed transfers and notarized transactions run more smoothly, and also make it easier for those professionals to build their contact lists. Down the line, Barbo said a fifth service will keep track of life's seismic events, the kind where an estate plan update could make sense, such as marriage, divorce, a new baby, a home purchase - and alert users when they should amend something. Pricing to create a will or trust remains the same. An individual's will-based plan starts at $199 and a trust-based plan starts at $499. Couples are charged an extra $100, and updates cost extra. Optional memberships at different pricing tiers give access to the EstateOS and other features. Attorney support is included in some plans or can be purchased as an add-on. The estate planning startup's plans For its first eight years, Trust & Will was one of several in a crowded digital legal document and estate planning marketplace, all of which turned estate planning from a costly investment to something that could be scratched off one's to-do list with a few clicks and a spare hour. LegalZoom and Rocket Lawyer are the bigger names, but there's also and the company that would win wittiest estate planning domain name, if that were a thing - The National Council on Aging recommends these online tools, saying "If an attorney isn't in your budget, an online will-making service can be a good alternative." Among the five companies it recommends, Trust & Will is crowned "most user-friendly." In estate planning, the use of AI is a topic of interest for attorneys, according to the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. A free video series explores practical and ethical issues around generative AI in estate planning. "Resistance to the coming of AI is futile," one speaker, a law professor, said last year. Lawyers, he added, "should keep abreast of the changes in the law and its practice, including the benefits and risks associated with relevant technology. So accordingly, you have an obligation to yourself, your clients, and the profession to become acquainted with and proficient with the use of AI in your estate planning practice." Barbo's 2017 pitch to investors succeeded: His company won $5,000 in seed money. Today he is eyeing the biggest prize for a startup - to take the company public. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Time Business News
20-06-2025
- Business
- Time Business News
From Search to Sales: How AI and Modern SEO Drive Real Growth
Organic traffic used to be a numbers game: rank high, watch visits rise, hope some of them convert. Today that approach is obsolete. AI-driven search results, answer engines and recommendation models reward brands that pair technical excellence with genuine authority and a laser-sharp focus on user intent—because machines now evaluate more than keywords. They weigh credibility, context and conversion potential. Modern SEO, therefore, isn't just about getting found ; it's about getting chosen and turning that choice into revenue. Search engines once matched queries to pages largely on phrase similarity. Now, natural-language processing lets algorithms grasp meaning, sentiment and topical depth. Google's Search Generative Experience and OpenAI-powered chat tools summarize, compare and recommend rather than merely list links. If your content lacks depth or authority signals—citations, structured data, user engagement—it risks invisibility, even if it ranks for the right words. Key takeaway: Optimizing for context means tackling core topics comprehensively, answering adjacent questions and structuring data so algorithms can parse relationships between ideas. AI assistive layers don't just influence discovery; they shape decisions. Recommendation systems surface 'people also ask' answers, voice assistants shortlist vendors, and large language models generate side-by-side comparisons that pre-qualify options before a prospect ever lands on your site. Brands that consistently appear in these smart suggestions occupy mindshare earlier, shortening the sales cycle. Action step: Audit how your brand appears (or doesn't) in AI-generated snippets, knowledge panels and chat answers. Fill content gaps, add explicit expertise markers (author bios, certifications) and pursue reviews on trusted platforms that AI scrapes for sentiment cues. Authority is earned when reputable domains reference you, when your expertise is cited by industry voices, and when your on-site content demonstrates depth and consistency. Structured markup (FAQ, How-To, Product), schema for authorship, and evidence of E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust) help machines validate your credibility. Off-site, guest features on niche publications and thought-leadership pieces amplify those signals. Search Engine Optimization (søkemotoroptimalisering) also uses the same scores, so you get two for one. Pro tip: A single authoritative backlink can outweigh dozens of generic ones under AI scoring models that prioritize topical relevance and trust metrics. Traffic spikes look good on dashboards, but growth happens when visits convert. AI can assist here as well: predictive lead-scoring models flag high-intent visitors, chatbots deliver personalized offers, and dynamic landing pages adjust messaging based on source or query. Marrying modern SEO with conversion-rate optimization (CRO) ensures the hand-off from 'search' to 'sales' is friction-free. Checklist: • Map keyword clusters to specific buyer-journey stages.• Align on-page CTAs with intent (informational vs. transactional).• Use A/B testing to refine copy, visuals and forms. • Feed behavioral data back into content strategy to close gaps. Traditional KPIs remain useful—rank position, impressions, click-through rate—but they're early indicators. To prove ROI, track: Qualified leads per URL or topic cluster – shows which content actually attracts buyers. – shows which content actually attracts buyers. Pipeline velocity – measures days from first visit to sales-accepted lead. – measures days from first visit to sales-accepted lead. Content-assisted revenue – attributes closed deals to touchpoints across the funnel. These metrics illuminate which SEO efforts accelerate sales and which merely inflate traffic. Technical Foundation: Ensure crawlability, Core Web Vitals and schema markup are in place. Topic Authority Map: Identify pillar pages and supporting articles covering each major pain point your offer solves. AI Visibility Audit: Check how your brand appears in conversational search, voice results and knowledge graphs; document gaps. Authority Building: Secure guest posts, podcast appearances and digital PR on niche-relevant outlets. Conversion Alignment: Pair every traffic-driving asset with a dedicated, intent-matched conversion path and measure relentlessly. Companies that follow this framework often see compounding gains: stronger signals feed AI platforms, which boost visibility, which drives qualified traffic that converts—creating a virtuous cycle. Implementing AI-ready SEO and tying it to sales outcomes can strain internal resources. That's why many growth-oriented firms collaborate with specialists. By integrating high-authority content placement, AI-aligned optimization and systematic CRO, SalesUp delivers a turnkey path from search impression to closed deal—transforming visibility into predictable revenue rather than vanity metrics. The future of SEO belongs to brands that embrace AI's role in discovery and decision-making, prioritize authority over tricks, and engineer seamless conversion experiences. By evolving from keyword chasing to context, credibility and conversion mastery, you move beyond being found —you become the obvious choice. That's the shortest path from search to sales, and the surest way to drive real, scalable growth. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
India.com
17-06-2025
- Business
- India.com
Bad news for this telecom company, to layoff 55000 employees by…, not Ratan Tata's TCS or Narayana Murthy's Infosys, it is…
British telecommunications giant BT is now assuming additional reductions in employment after the development of artificial intelligence. They recently announced more that 55,000 job cuts by 2030 which is higher than their earlier plans. CEO of the British telecommunications company BT, Allison Kirkby revealed this in a Sunday interview with the Financial Times. He said that progress in AI technology might result in additional reductions at the company. BT in 2023 had planned to cut up to 55,000 jobs by 2030, to reduce its cost base by the end of this decade. However, he also informed the FT that this strategy 'did not reflect' the 'full potential' of artificial intelligence. As now BT has increasingly used AI to change operations in areas like customer service. 'Depending on what we learn from AI … there may be an opportunity for BT to be even smaller by the end of the decade,' Kirkby said. The company is planning to use generative AI to assist with sales and support operations in BT and its mobile network division, EE. By December, the firm reported that EE's virtual assistant, Aimee, was able to manage up to 60,000 customer conversations weekly. BT is not only one company which is planning automation in full swing. The Swedish payments firm Klarna is also taking initiatives to use AI in customer service operations. In 2024, Klarna had revealed that its OpenAI-powered AI assistant was performing the work of 700 full-time customer service agents.
Business Insider
15-06-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
The CEO of British telecom giant BT warns AI could lead to further job cuts at the firm
Executives warning of the potential impact of artificial intelligence on white-collar jobs is becoming an increasingly familiar tale. The latest is Allison Kirkby, the CEO of British telecommunications giant BT. In an interview with the Financial Times published Sunday, Kirkby said that advancements in AI technology could lead to further cuts at the firm. BT announced in 2023 plans to cut up to 55,000 jobs by 2030 as part of a push to reduce its cost base by the end of the decade. But Kirkby told the FT that this plan "did not reflect" AI's "full potential." "Depending on what we learn from AI ... there may be an opportunity for BT to be even smaller by the end of the decade," she said. BT has turned to AI in recent years to reinvent processes in areas like customer service. The company announced in 2024 that it was using generative AI to aid sales and support operations across BT and EE, its mobile network division. In December, the firm said that EE's virtual assistant, dubbed "Aimee," was handling up to 60,000 customer conversations a week. BT is not alone in its attempts to automate such tasks. Swedish payments company Klarna has been open about its efforts to use AI to run its customer service desks. In 2024, Klarna said its OpenAI-powered AI assistant was carrying out the work of 700 full-time customer service agents. The firm's CEO, Sebastian Siemiatkowski, has been a strong advocate of AI but has since softened his position on the tech, saying in May that certain cost-cutting efforts had gone too far and that Klarna was now recruiting for its customer service operation, Bloomberg reported. But Siemiatkowski has remained confident that AI poses a major threat to white-collar jobs going forward. Speaking on The Times Tech podcast earlier this month, Siemiatkowski said that the technology had played a major role in "efficiency gains" at Klarna and that its workforce had reduced from about 5,500 to 3,000 people in the last two years as a result. "My suspicion again is that there will be an implication for white-collar jobs, and when that happens, that usually leads to at least a recession in the short term," he added. "Unfortunately, I don't see how we could avoid that, with what's happening from a technology perspective." AI companies themselves have sounded the alarm that their product could significantly impact the job market. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei recently warned that AI could eliminate half of all entry-level white-collar jobs within the next five years. "We, as the producers of this technology, have a duty and an obligation to be honest about what is coming," Amodei told Axios in May. "I don't think this is on people's radar.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Barbie's about to get a brain — and it's powered by OpenAI
Barbie's parent company Mattel has teamed up with OpenAI. While details are still under wraps, the first AI-powered product is expected to drop later this year. The partnership comes as toy manufacturers face weaker demand due to tariffs. Barbie might get an AI upgrade. Mattel, the maker of Barbie, Hot Wheels, and Uno, has teamed up with OpenAI to bring artificial intelligence to its iconic toy brands, the companies announced on Thursday. By using OpenAI's technology, Mattel will "bring the magic of AI to age-appropriate play experiences with an emphasis on innovation, privacy, and safety," the California-based toy manufacturer said in a press release on Thursday. While details are still under wraps, the first AI-powered product is expected to drop later this year. Mattel isn't handing over its intellectual property in the deal. The company retains full control over the products being developed, said Josh Silverman, Mattel's chief franchise officer, in an interview with Bloomberg. Talks with OpenAI first began late last year, he added. It's not just about the toys. Mattel will also incorporate OpenAI tools like ChatGPT Enterprise into its business operations, the toy company said. Mattel shares rose 1.8% to $19.59 earlier Thursday, before edging down to $19.30 in after-hours trading. Mattel and OpenAI did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. The move comes as toy manufacturers face weaker demand, with consumers pulling back on spending amid uncertainty over President Donald Trump's trade policy. Mattel withdrew its annual forecast last month and said it would increase prices for some products in the US to offset Trump's tariffs. The company also said it would "adjust" its promotional activity to save costs. Its cost-savings target for the year rose to $80 million from $60 million, Anthony DiSilvestro, Mattel's chief financial officer, said in an earnings call last month. Over the past year, Mattel has leaned on entertainment — including movies, TV shows, and mobile games — to help offset a slowdown in toy sales. OpenAI, meanwhile, has recently inked partnerships with major consumer brands, including Starbucks. The coffee giant is rolling out a new OpenAI-powered tool called Green Dot Assist to help baristas remember drink recipes and suggest food pairings. Built using Microsoft Azure OpenAI, the tool runs on an iPad behind the counter in stores and will work as an in-store virtual assistant for baristas, Starbucks said in a press release Tuesday. Read the original article on Business Insider
