Karen Kwok (@karenkkwok.bsky.social)

Breakingviews - AI agents have clear mission, hazy business model In late 1999 the online fashion startup Boo.com launched its website, which featured a virtual shopping assistant. The avatar, known as Miss Boo, was supposed to offer styling tips to customers and allow them to view jeans and shirts on three-dimensional models before buying. The concept may sound familiar to anyone who has recently listened to technology companies extoll the potential of agents using artificial intelligence. Boo.com collapsed a few months after it launched, in part because the website proved slow and unreliable. The technology industry’s hopes are riding on a bet that AI-powered agents will be more successful this time. https://reut.rs/419Z00M