A new study, Generative AI in Journalism, of the news practitioners polled 57% indicate they are at least proficient at some level in using Gen AI. 74% say their organization has used or is currently using gen ai in some form. 22% of newsrooms say they use it for content production, translation, and working with data.

Whether you're a mall owner, operator, or a small shop on main street, to compete against the efficiency and convenience of shopping online, focus on creating experiences that delight, wow, and attract and retain shoppers.

Just five years ago, less than 5% of employees had the option to work remotely on a regular basis. Today, 58% of people now have that option at least some of the time. While a majority of employers have embraced that change of where and when people work, they have not yet adopted the best practices they need to make it work optimally.

Workers hired since the pandemic work an average of 35 miles from their employer. That compared with 16 miles as the average among workers who were hired before the pandemic, and those now living more than 50 miles from their employer, rose from 0.8% in 2019 to 5.5% by the end of 2023. Businesses are going to have to be more flexible and more open-minded when it comes to searching for new talent by being willing to hire those living further and further away from the business.

Research conducted by Brand Finance has just released its annual ranking of the 500 most valuable brands globally. The factor having the biggest impact on brand value studied this past year was how companies used AI and how it impacted brand value.

Retail sales data indicates a possible slowing in consumer spending. Contributing to this is rising US credit card debt. Not only the reality of interest rates, consumers must now pay on their unpaid balances, but many consumers have tapped out their available credit. That is indeed likely impacting consumer spending.

Small business owners have embraced the empowering capabilities of the TikTok platform. TikTok presents a unique opportunity to level the playing field organically for these businesses. While there may be other meritorious reasons for banning TikTok, losing TikTok might mean losing much of the community who desires to start and grow a successful small business.

Consumers will be both wearing and spending plenty of green this year, 162 million Americans are planning to celebrate St. Patty's Day. Research conducted and published by the National Retail Federation projects that consumers will spend a record $7.2 billion this year. That's an average of $44.40 cents per person.

Report highlights the growing opportunity for advertisers in women's sports programming. Live sports have consistently been the TV programming that's been most successful at driving consumer engagement with brands that advertise during them, generating key outcomes like online searches that are proven predictors of future sales.

National Federation of Independent Businesses, small business optimism index edge down to 89.4% in Feb 2024. The lowest in 9 months. Small business owners reported that inflation was their single most important business problem as is the cost of capital and labor.