Based on more than 1,000 AI personas, the report finds 84% of wealth management firms acknowledge the need for an operating model reset, but less than 10% are prepared for the shift

NEW YORK and NOIDA, India, Sept. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- HCLTech (NSE: HCLTECH) (BSE: HCLTECH), a leading global technology company, today released a first-of-its-kind synthetic research report "Hidden In Pl(AI)n Sight," based on a survey of 1,066 representative AI personas modeled on senior wealth management industry decision-makers across 17 global markets.

The research reveals that 84% of global wealth management firms believe their operating models require fundamental redesign to fully realize the promise of AI, highlighting the fact that AI transformation is less about adoption and more about reimagining how businesses operate, compete and grow. It also revealed that while 98% of leadership teams in the industry are actively pursuing an AI agenda, only slightly more than 7% are actively building agentic AI capabilities.

The research identifies three critical blind spots that prevent wealth management firms from converting AI enthusiasm into measurable business outcomes.

- Ambition blind spot, where firms recognize the need for transformation but continue to fund AI for efficiency gains.

- Execution blind spot, where significant investments in technology are not mirrored by investments in the proprietary client data and insights that create real competitive advantage.

- Strategy blind spot, where firms track AI adoption but fail to measure its impact on growth, revenue and clients.

"The industry doesn't have an investment problem. It has a choices problem," said Srinivasan Seshadri, Chief Growth Officer and Global Head of Financial Services, HCLTech. "Nearly every wealth management firm is spending on AI. Far fewer can say which programs they are funding, how far AI actually reaches into the operating model, or whether they're measuring the outcomes that matter — new client value, growth and revenue models. Our research found that 84% of leaders want a fundamental redesign, yet just 12% are measuring the new revenue that the redesign should produce. That's the blind spot the winners will close first."

This research brings together AI's scale, speed, and analytical capabilities with deep human expertise at its core. Industry practitioners, researchers, and subject matter experts played an active role throughout the journey, challenging assumptions, enriching context and rigorously validating findings, ensuring the outcomes were both innovative and grounded in real-world industry experience.

"This study represents a new model for how we generate insights, one where AI gives us scale and speed while human expertise ensures every finding is credible and trustworthy," said Jill Kouri, Global Chief Marketing Officer, HCLTech. "It's a demonstration of what's possible when AI and human expertise work together and exactly the kind of capability we intend to build more in-house."

Firms creating lasting competitive advantage will be those that combine AI with their most unique asset: decades of proprietary client knowledge. Executives ranked first-party and behavioral data as a more valuable differentiator than technology infrastructure, cloud platforms or AI partnerships, while nearly 80% believe future industry leaders will be those that best orchestrate AI, human expertise and ecosystem partners. APAC (89%) and North America (84%) show the highest levels of confidence, while Europe lags at 38.3%, underscoring a markedly different pace of readiness and transformation across markets.

Note to the Editors: Pioneering a New Model of Research with AI

The report, conducted in partnership with Evidenza, represents one of the wealth management industry's most comprehensive applications of synthetic research to date.

The methodology reflects the very approach that HCLTech recommends to its clients: AI at Scale, Human judgment at critical moments. Rather than replacing traditional expertise, AI was used to enhance and scale it, with subject matter experts involved in persona design, research development and validation of findings.

The result is both a new approach to understanding complex industries and a practical example of responsible AI in action. By bringing together AI-driven analysis and human expertise, the study demonstrates how organizations can scale intelligence while maintaining trust, rigor and transparency.

The report ultimately suggests that the firms creating lasting competitive advantage will not necessarily be those deploying the most AI, but those that combine AI with their most unique assets: proprietary client knowledge, human expertise and strong ecosystem partnerships.

To access the full report, please visit: https://www.hcltech.com/financial-services/capital-market.

About HCLTech

HCLTech is a global technology company, home to more than 223,000 people across 60 countries, delivering industry-leading capabilities centered around AI, digital, engineering, cloud and software, powered by a broad portfolio of technology services and products. We work with clients across all major verticals, providing industry solutions for Financial Services, Manufacturing, Life Sciences and Healthcare, Technology & Services, Semiconductor, Telecom and Media, Retail and CPG, Mobility and Public Services. Consolidated revenues as of 12 months ending June 2026 totaled $14.8 billion. To learn how we can supercharge progress for you, visit hcltech.com.

For further details, please contact:

Meredith Bucaro, Americas - [email protected]  

Elka Ghudial, Europe - [email protected]  

James Galvin, APAC - [email protected]

Nitin Shukla, India, Middle East & Africa- [email protected]

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Kodi works alongside contact center leaders to investigate problems, uncover opportunities, recommend what needs to happen, and put approved decisions into action.

ST. LOUIS, Sept. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Balto today announced the general availability of Kodi, an AI coworker built specifically for contact center leaders that can investigate issues, determine what needs to happen next, and execute approved changes across the tools teams use to run the floor. Rather than stopping at an insight or recommendation, Kodi can carry the work through to action, turning contact center data into changes that can improve performance, revenue, quality, and compliance.

This changes what you can do with contact center data. When something needs to improve, you can have Kodi investigate the underlying interactions, identify the factors driving the outcome, show the evidence, determine what needs to change, and recommend where that change should happen. You review the recommendation, approve it, and Kodi can put it into action through Agent Assist, coaching, QA scorecards, compliance scorecards, Notes, dynamic prompts, checklists, dashboards, data fields, and other Balto capabilities.

"Most insights tools stop at the moment they show you the problem," said Kyle Jones, VP of Product at Balto. "Kodi is built for what happens next. It can investigate the issue, work through the evidence, determine what needs to change, and then go into Balto and make the approved change.

A new way to work with your contact center

For years, contact center technology has given leaders more dashboards, more reports, and more data. The challenge has been turning that data into decisions and then turning those decisions into changes on the floor. Kodi brings those steps together. It can work through the data required to understand what is happening, connect findings to the underlying interactions, identify the factors driving the result, and determine what action could improve the outcome. Because Kodi operates inside Balto, it can then move that decision into execution.

Kodi can also recognize when the original question is not enough. If additional data would produce a better answer, it can create what is needed, backfill the last 60 days, and begin tracking it going forward.

The result is not simply an answer to the question that was asked. Kodi can also surface related patterns and problems you did not think to ask about.

From insight to action without change management required

Execution is powered by a different way of working with your contact center. You can start with a question, a problem, an observation, or something you simply want to understand. You do not need to know exactly which report to run or which data field contains the answer.

The way you need information depends on what you are trying to understand or decide. Kodi can adapt its output to match. You can ask for a chart, change the visualization, compare time periods, break results down by team or location, see the interactions behind a number, summarize findings across conversations, or turn the result into a report or PDF you can share. The information is not locked inside a predefined dashboard. Kodi can work with you to shape the answer around the question, the evidence, and the decision in front of you.

You can ask Kodi to go deeper, change the timeframe, compare teams, investigate a pattern it surfaced, or show the calls behind a finding. The conversation gives you a way to direct the work while Kodi handles the investigation. The insight, the decision, and the tools needed to execute it are connected. Kodi has immediately closed the gap between what you know and what you can do.

Availability

Kodi begins rolling out today exclusively for all Balto customers. To see it in action, visit balto.ai/contact-center-insights/.

About Balto

Balto unifies the contact center by pairing human execution with the speed of agentic AI. Powering thousands of customer interactions daily across the globe, Balto's agent assist, automated QA, and agentic insights to empower contact centers to maximize revenue, eliminate compliance risk, and scale elite operational performance. Headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, Balto is backed by premier venture capital firms and trusted by leading brands across financial services, healthcare, insurance, and retail operations. Learn more at balto.ai

SOURCE Balto Software, Inc.

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Workflow verifies coverage and pulls endorsement forms directly from the policy, extending automation Fulcrum already runs for policy checking and proposals.

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Fulcrum today launched a certificate workflow that returns a complete, endorsement-ready certificate from an emailed request in under a minute, built on the same policy data the platform already uses for policy checking and proposal generation.

Fulcrum automates the underwriting context the document depends on, reading the policy rather than filling a form the way most certificate tools do. The workflow reads the inbound request and any attached contract, compares what is being demanded against the coverage the client actually carries, and flags requests the policy cannot satisfy before an account manager commits to anything. It locates the supporting endorsement forms inside the policy, pulls them, sorts them by the situation they apply to, and attaches them. Description of operations language comes from wording the agency has already approved, shaped to each client's preferences. Account managers review and approve every certificate before it issues.

"When you track the lifecycle of a policy, from policy checking to proposals to servicing, certificates are such a major, tedious piece of that," said Albert Hu, Product Lead for certificates at Fulcrum. "They're also extremely hard to automate, because they require so much context about where a policy stands. We'd always wanted to build it, and once we'd proven ourselves with other workflows, we knew it was time."

Certificates are the latest, and most demanding, of the major workflow areas Fulcrum has taken on, following policy checking and proposal generation. The sequence was deliberate: both of those required the platform to read and reconcile policy data across carriers, forms, and lines of business, and certificates inherit that same foundation.

Renewals compound the gain: because each certificate is built from current policy data rather than a stored template, an entire account can be reissued in a single batch, work that can otherwise take agencies days or weeks each year. It is the largest single gain Fulcrum has delivered to date, doubling the time the platform returns to account managers. Endorsement handling drew the most scrutiny from early users but has been fully tested and proven.

"I am confident, based on what Fulcrum has built, that this new workflow is going to be a game changer for all of Foundation Risk Partners (FRP) We're really excited about the deployment of COIs," said Daniel Greene, Midwest Regional Vice President of P&C Operations at FRP.

"Certificate requests are one of the most repetitive, time-consuming parts of an account manager's day, not because the work is unimportant, but because it eats up hours that should go to higher-value client conversations," said Arjun Mangla, CEO and Co-founder at Fulcrum. "Getting that time back without losing turnaround is what changes for these teams."

Fulcrum is used by nearly half of the top 50 U.S. insurance brokerages and executes more than 2,500 hours of servicing work each day. The certificate workflow joins the company's agents for policy checking, coverage analysis, proposal preparation, and sales preparation.

About Fulcrum

Fulcrum is the leading AI platform for insurance brokerages, helping teams modernize workflows like policy checking, proposal generation, and certificate issuance. Trusted by top U.S. brokerages, Fulcrum's AI agents integrate directly with existing systems to deliver faster, more accurate service without adding headcount. Learn more at www.withfulcrum.com

Media Contact: Colleen O'Hara | [email protected]

SOURCE Fulcrum

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New Velocity AI agent helps insurance professionals find and act on critical information faster across document-intensive workflows

DENVER, Sept. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Vertafore®, the leader in insurance distribution technology in the AI era, today announced general availability of its new Velocity™ Document Intelligence Agent, which automates time-consuming research across insurance documents so professionals can get to the information they need faster.

Agency, MGA, and carrier teams often spend significant time reviewing dozens of documents to answer a customer question, renew or endorse a policy, assess a risk or resolve a claim. The information they need is usually somewhere in the content they have access to, but the time it takes to find, compare and piece it together is the problem.

Available in Vertafore's ImageRight®, Document Intelligence Agent automates that research so insurance professionals can spend less time finding and more time acting on information.

Users ask a question in natural language and the AI agent finds and synthesizes relevant information across the content they are authorized to access—spanning Word documents, spreadsheets, PDFs, images, email, and more—bringing it together in a clear answer with document- and page-level source citations. Unlike traditional keyword search, the agent uses the meaning and context of the question to surface relevant information rather than simply returning matching results.

For example, Document Intelligence Agent can identify and summarize changes in coverage between policy terms, bring together claims and loss history to support underwriting or reconstruct the documented sequence of communications around a claim—supporting everything from compiling an answer while on the phone with a client to reviewing a new submission, preparing for a renewal, taking over a new account, and preparing for an audit.

In early testing, information that took approximately 20 minutes to find manually was surfaced in two minutes—up to a 90% reduction in document search and review time.

"Our teams spend a lot of time searching through policy files for specific information, sometimes going back years," said Amber Troyer, Software Administrator at Hummel Group Insurance. "With the Document Intelligence Agent, we can ask what we're looking for in plain language and get directly to the right information. It's even finding relevant results in mislabeled documents—something that would be easy for a person to overlook. This is going to help our team surface all the content they need to service accounts, faster."

"Insurance professionals spend a huge amount of their expertise just finding the information needed to do their job," said James Thom, president and chief AI officer at Vertafore. "AI changes that equation. By automating the research and bringing the right information forward, we can remove a major source of distribution drag and give people more capacity for the decisions, relationships and judgment that require their expertise."

Bringing specialized AI into insurance workflows

Built on the Vertafore Velocity™ AI Platform, Document Intelligence Agent is the latest addition to Vertafore's growing portfolio of AI agents embedded directly in the workflows insurance professionals use every day.

The new AI agent is a key enabler to Vertafore's vision for the Agentic Agency and Digital Underwriter, helping the insurance industry eliminate drag across the distribution lifecycle and achieve Distribution Velocity—speed with intentional outcomes across workflows. Leveraging AI to take the friction out of research and surface insights is a valuable step in empowering agencies, MGAs and carriers to adapt faster and grow smarter.

About Vertafore

Vertafore powers Distribution Velocity, accelerating every part of the insurance value chain within and across agencies, MGAs, and carriers so they can adapt faster and grow smarter. As the trusted backbone of the industry, Vertafore provides the core digital systems, specialized AI, and data-driven foundation to eliminate distribution drag across sales, servicing, accounting, underwriting, and back-office operations, taking insurance workflows from friction to flow.

Supporting over 95% of the top agencies and insurers and 50% of industry compliance transactions, Vertafore leads at the intersection of innovation and trust, giving customers the speed, performance power, and confidence to transform and grow at scale in the new era. Vertafore is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Learn more at www.vertafore.com.

©2026 Vertafore and the Vertafore logo are registered trademarks of Vertafore. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

MEDIA CONTACT:

INK Communications

[email protected]

New Velocity AI agent helps insurance professionals find and act on critical information faster across document-intensive workflows

SOURCE Vertafore, Inc.

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Sept. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Sterling Organization, a West Palm Beach, Florida-based private equity real estate investment firm focused on the retail sector, today announced the acquisition of a three-property Core, grocery-anchored shopping center portfolio totaling 277,057 square feet. The properties were acquired on behalf of Sterling's Core, grocery-anchored shopping center fund series, Sterling United Properties (SUP). The portfolio includes two properties in the San Francisco Bay area, Safeway Burlingame in Burlingame, Calif. and Pleasanton Gateway Shopping Center in Pleasanton, Calif., along with Kapahulu Shopping Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. Collectively 99% leased, each property is anchored by a high-performing Safeway grocery store and is well positioned within an affluent and densely populated trade area. The centers all benefit from strong real estate fundamentals in land-constrained submarkets, with portfolio trade area demographics averaging more than 124,000 residents with average annual household incomes exceeding $222,000 within a three-mile radius.

"This portfolio acquisition presented a phenomenal and rare opportunity to add what we believe are three super-core trophy properties to our growing Sterling United Properties fund series. Each shopping center is difficult-to-replicate, and all sit on sites within some of the country's most land-constrained and desirable trade areas. We expect the portfolio will continue to generate consistent, predictable, and growing cash flow for the benefit of the fund and our investor partners," said Jordan Fried, Principal at Sterling Organization. "We would like to thank Chris Hoffmann and the entire team at Eastdil Secured Savills for their professionalism and assistance in making this transaction a smooth and efficient experience for all involved."

"The portfolio aligns well with our investment strategy for the SUP series of funds as it combines strong, fundamentally sound real estate with defensive characteristics where tenant demand should continue to outpace the supply of available space at each property and within their respective submarkets. We look forward to leveraging Sterling's leasing and asset management platforms to support and augment the continued solid and consistent cash flow performance of each property," added Bob Dake, Principal at Sterling Organization.

Safeway Burlingame

- Safeway Burlingame is a 70,174-square-foot, 100%-leased, grocery-anchored shopping center located in downtown Burlingame on the San Francisco Peninsula. The property is anchored by a high-volume Safeway and houses a diverse mix of national retailers including Union Bank, AT&T, StretchLab, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Drybar, and Great Clips. The center serves an affluent community situated between the city of San Francisco and Silicon Valley and benefits from over 111,000 residents living within a three-mile radius with average household incomes exceeding $272,000 per annum.

Pleasanton Gateway Shopping Center

- Pleasanton Gateway Shopping Center is a 128,275-square-foot, 99%-leased grocery-anchored shopping center located in Pleasanton, an affluent suburban San Francisco Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in the Tri-Valley region. Anchored by Safeway, the center features a diverse mix of national retailers, restaurants, and service providers, including CVS, Wells Fargo, Starbucks, Panda Express, and The Habit Burger Grill. The property serves a highly affluent trade area, with approximately 66,000 residents living within a three-mile radius of the property with average household incomes exceeding $259,000.

Kapahulu Shopping Center

- Kapahulu Shopping Center is a 78,608-square-foot, 97%-leased grocery-anchored shopping center located along Honolulu's Kapahulu corridor between Waikiki and downtown Honolulu. The property is anchored by a high-performing Safeway and includes national retailers such as AT&T, Panda Express, and Supercuts. The center serves nearby residential neighborhoods, the University of Hawaii community, and one of the state's most active visitor corridors. It draws from a densely populated trade area with approximately 196,000 residents living within a three-mile radius that have an average annual household income exceeding $137,000. The acquisition marks Sterling's first investment in Hawaii and expands the firm's footprint into a market characterized by limited land availability and significant barriers to development.

About Sterling Organization

Sterling Organization is a vertically integrated private equity real estate investment firm specializing in retail real estate assets across the United States. With the addition of these shopping centers, Sterling Organization and its affiliates now own 83 properties across various funds and other investment vehicles, encompassing more than 15 million square feet and exceeding $4 billion in gross asset value. The firm is headquartered in West Palm Beach, Florida and has offices nationwide. For leasing opportunities, contact [email protected].

CONTACT: Margaret Cohen, [email protected] 

                   Kathy Panagopoulos, [email protected] 

SOURCE Sterling Organization

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As population most at risk for vascular disease surges, shortages leave people in 2,400+ U.S. counties without a vascular surgeon

ROSEMONT, Ill., Sept. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 75 million people in the United States live in a county without a vascular surgeon, according to new data released today by the American College of Surgeons (ACS). The findings reveal an alarming gap in access to care just as more Americans than ever reach the age when the risk of vascular disease is highest. By 2030, all baby boomers will be at least 65.

The ACS Surgical Workforce Mapping Tool, developed in collaboration with the Society for Vascular Surgery, for the first time shows the distribution of vascular surgeons practicing in each county across the United States. Drawing on a single data source, the tool compares surgeon supply across 12 surgical specialties and all 3,144 counties. The tool identifies 4,685 vascular surgeons practicing nationwide, an average of 1.4 per 100,000 people, and shows why access must be measured where patients actually live. While 290 hospital referral regions include at least one vascular surgeon, 2,320 counties within those regions do not. Broad regional averages can hide the local gaps that determine whether a patient gets timely care.

The shortage hits hardest where the need is greatest. Peripheral artery disease (PAD), one of the most common vascular diseases, affects up to 12 million Americans and leads to nearly 150,000 lower-leg amputations each year, many of which are preventable with timely specialist care. Yet states with the highest amputation risk, including Alabama, Louisiana and Texas, have below-average vascular surgeon supply, and 93% of rural counties have no vascular surgeon at all.

"While these findings are startling, they are not surprising," said Samantha Minc, MD, MPH, vascular surgeon at Duke University. "Rural and underserved communities face both a higher burden of vascular disease and fewer resources to support the specialists who treat it. Vascular surgeons belong in these communities and are essential partners in caring for people with PAD and other vascular conditions."

Vascular surgeons are also vital to the prevention of disease, critical to multidisciplinary care teams and a driver of economic impact. When vascular surgeons are readily available, and have a supportive program, hospital systems can expand service offerings, reduce transfers, and strengthen their reputation as regional centers of excellence.

"We applaud ACS for developing this critical data, and the spotlight it places on what needs to happen as we grow our specialty and support the existing workforce," said Linda Harris, MD, DFSVS, SVS President. "To close these gaps, we're working to attract more surgical residents and fellows, elevate the importance of vascular surgeons currently in practice, and build care teams that extend our reach into the rural and underserved communities that need us most."

With county-level data now available, communities, health systems and policymakers can see exactly where vascular surgeons are needed and direct investments where they will help patients most. SVS will use these findings to advocate for expanded GME residency positions, education and funding incentives for practice in rural and underserved communities, and policies that support the long-term recruitment and retention of vascular surgeons, so the workforce grows in step with the population at risk.

About SVS

The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) seeks to advance excellence and innovation in vascular health through education, advocacy, research, and public awareness. The organization was founded in 1946 and currently has a membership of more than 6,300. SVS membership is recognized in the vascular community as a mark of professional achievement.

Media Contact

Sarah Jeziorski

312-334-2317

[email protected]

SOURCE Society for Vascular Surgery

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FORT WORTH, Texas, Sept. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A new product for itchy ears, eosera® EAR ITCH MD® +PLUS, is proving to be a favorite among eosera® customers. Developed to address itchy ears and inflammation, EAR ITCH MD® +PLUS contains 1% hydrocortisone, a key ingredient doctors recommend to help with itch and inflammation.

Available over-the-counter at nationwide retailers including Walmart, Meijer, Amazon.com, and eosera.com, eosera® EAR ITCH MD® +PLUS is seeing early success and consumer adoption.

"We're hearing from customers with skin issues like eczema, dermatitis, and psoriasis that EAR ITCH MD® +PLUS is something they've been waiting for," said eosera® CEO and Founder, Elyse Stoltz Dickerson. "And that excitement is driving shelf velocity, something our retail partners are paying attention to. We're having discussions about expanding store counts and introducing this great product to additional retailers in the coming months."

In addition to maximum-strength 1% hydrocortisone, eosera® EAR ITCH MD® +PLUS also contains aloe, colloidal oatmeal, and turmeric, all ingredients that help provide soothing relief for itchy skin. The ergonomic spray bottle makes it easy to evenly coat the ear canal.

"The skin lining the ear canal is thin and easily irritated, so patients with eczema, dermatitis, or seasonal allergies often deal with itchy ears that nothing seems to touch," said Robin Carson, Au.D., CCC-A at Carson Hearing Care in Fort Worth, TX. "Hydrocortisone is a well-established option for itch and inflammation, and colloidal oatmeal has been used on irritated skin for generations. Itchy ears are far more common than people realize, and having a formulation designed specifically for the ear canal, rather than a cream meant for elsewhere on the body, is what makes this category worth paying attention to."

This latest launch rounds out an expanding product line from the Texas-based ear care company. At their Fort Worth headquarters, eosera® also develops products that address earwax impaction, painful earaches, and dry ears caused by perimenopause or allergies. They've also recently released a line of ear wellness supplements and innovative swabs for cleaning.

"It's been a big year for us at eosera®, and nothing makes me more excited than to see our customers happy," Dickerson said. "Providing relief for ears is what we're all about, and I can't wait to see eosera® EAR ITCH MD® +PLUS on the shelf in even more retailers very soon."

For more information about eosera® EAR ITCH MD® +PLUS, visit the eosera® website.

About eosera®

Founded in 2015, eosera® is a founder-led, WBENC-certified woman-owned small business and the original purpose-built ear care brand. The company develops innovative solutions for ear wax, ear itch, ear pain and other common health concerns. Proudly manufactured in Fort Worth, Texas, its products are available nationwide at major retailers and online. Purchases support the eosera® Foundation, dedicated to healthy ears and empowered futures. For more information, visit eosera.com.

SOURCE Eosera

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SwitchBot Launches RGBICWW Light Bars with Immersive Color, Everyday White Light, and Matter over Wi-Fi

TOKYO, Sept. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- SwitchBot, a leading provider of AI-enabled embodied home robotics systems, today announced SwitchBot RGBICWW Light Bars, a versatile pair of smart light bars designed for work, gaming, movies, music, and everyday relaxation. Combining RGBIC multi-color effects, dedicated cool- and warm-white LEDs, flexible magnetic mounting, native Matter over Wi-Fi, and API support, the light bars adapt as users move between focused work and entertainment.

Designed for digital lifestyles centered around desks, screens, and connected homes, SwitchBot RGBICWW Light Bars provide immersive ambient color without sacrificing practical white lighting for long hours at a desk.

Bring Every Game, Movie, and Beat to Life

Across the pair, 12 IC chips create 12 independently controllable color zones, with six zones on each bar. Users can combine multiple colors on a single light bar to produce layered gradients and multi-color wall washes instead of displaying only one color at a time.

SwitchBot RGBICWW Light Bars support 16 million colors and 26 preset dynamic lighting effects for gaming setups, movie nights, parties, and seasonal scenes. A built-in microphone detects ambient sound and powers six music-reactive effects, allowing color and motion to follow the rhythm without requiring a separate music sensor.

Comfortable White Light for Long Hours at Your Desk

Beyond colorful ambient lighting, dedicated cool-white and warm-white LEDs provide practical illumination for working, studying, reading, and winding down. Users can adjust color temperature from 2200K to 6500K and dim brightness smoothly from 1% to 100%.

Together, the two bars deliver up to 800 lm of mixed white light. Positioned behind a monitor or directed toward a wall, they can soften the contrast between a bright screen and a darker room while providing comfortable indirect lighting throughout the day.

Place It Your Way, Anywhere

The unique design with built-in magnets allows the light bars to attach quickly to compatible metal surfaces and be removed or repositioned as a workspace changes. They can also be placed horizontally, positioned vertically, or installed with adhesive backing for a more discreet setup.

This flexible design allows the bars to fit around monitors, televisions, metal desk frames, pegboards, shelves, cabinets, and bedsides. Users can display the light bars directly or hide them behind furniture and screens to create space-saving indirect light.

Agent Status, Visible at a Glance

Through SwitchBot's API, users can link local or cloud-based AI agents to customized light cues. A breathing effect can indicate that an agent is thinking, flowing light can show that a task is in progress, and different colors can signal completion or an urgent alert.

This gives users a way to follow an AI agent's progress without continuously watching the screen, turning the light bars into a visual status indicator as well as an ambient lighting device.

Matter and Multiple Ways to Control

Native Matter over Wi-Fi allows SwitchBot RGBICWW Light Bars to connect to compatible platforms without an additional SwitchBot Hub. Supported ecosystems include Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings, Home Assistant, and Homey.

Users can make quick adjustments through the wired controller or voice commands, while the SwitchBot app provides detailed control over colors, zones, dynamic effects, music modes, schedules, timers, and automations. The light bars can also work with other SwitchBot devices and lighting products to create coordinated work, entertainment, and relaxation scenes.

Pricing and Availability

SwitchBot RGBICWW Light Bars are already available through SwitchBot's official website and Amazon store, with an MSRP of USD 45.99 / GBP 55.99 / CAD 59.99.

For more information, please visit SwitchBot's official website and follow SwitchBot on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

*Brightness measurements may vary by up to ±20% depending on testing conditions. Third-party Matter integration requires a compatible Matter Controller. Zone settings, music sync, dynamic effects, and certain advanced features are configured through the SwitchBot app.

Media Kit: SwitchBot RGBICWW Light Bars

SOURCE SwitchBot

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New Commercial Partnerships and a Live Robotics Demo Highlight the Advantages of Moving AI Processing Into Local Infrastructure

Key Takeaways:

- Spectrum has begun to spread computing power across its network, with the ability to reach more than 1,000 smaller owned and operated "edge" data centers already built into its infrastructure – putting substantial capacity within 10 milliseconds of 500 million connected devices in homes and businesses across the U.S.

- Spectrum is enabling new AI applications with leading AI innovators Cast AI, HP and Hydra Host, marking an important milestone in the commercial adoption of its Edge Compute Infrastructure (ECI) platform powered by NVIDIA.

- Cast AI, HP and World Wide Technology (WWT) will join Spectrum to demonstrate how Spectrum's network enables low-latency AI workloads, including a robotics demonstration from WWT in the booth.

STAMFORD, Conn., Sept. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As AI moves from answering prompts to controlling physical machines - robots, sensors, real-time video, secure personal data - speed stops being a nice-to-have and becomes mission critical. An instruction sent to a robot's "brain" in a data center 500 miles away simply arrives too late. Spectrum is addressing this problem with its Edge Compute Infrastructure (ECI) enhanced with NVIDIA accelerated computing platforms.

Spectrum has begun to activate computing power across its network, with the ability to reach over 1,000 smaller facilities already embedded in its existing infrastructure - placing distributed compute capacity within 10 milliseconds of 500 million devices in homes and businesses across the U.S. By combining its high-capacity fiber network and distributed footprint of powered edge data centers with NVIDIA accelerated computing, ECI brings AI infrastructure closer to where data is generated and decisions are made.

At SCTE TechExpo 26, attendees can visit Spectrum's booth to experience demonstrations stemming from close collaborations with Cast AI, HP and World Wide Technology (WWT), each illustrating how edge network capabilities are advancing cloud, AI and customer applications on Spectrum's ECI platform. Spectrum also is working with Hydra Host to commercialize its AI Factory "Operating System" on ECI. These collaborations demonstrate Spectrum's focus on building the distributed infrastructure that supports AI and data-driven technologies for a range of industries.

Cast AI will highlight its OMNI technology integrating NVIDIA Blackwell Ultra-based accelerated computing platforms, embedded, owned, hosted and operated by Spectrum on its ECI platform, into diverse hyperscale cloud environments. OMNI extends these GPUs natively into its multi-cloud compute fabric, where they appear as standard cluster nodes alongside major cloud provider capacity. Connectivity for this AI infrastructure is delivered through Spectrum's network, demonstrating how deep integration of compute and connectivity at the edge can advance AI innovation.

HP will showcase HP Z Boost, an innovative solution that shifts GPU access from hardware-bound to on-demand, accelerating rendering, visualization, and AI workloads through shared GPU resources. By delivering performance when and where it is needed, HP Z Boost helps organizations maximize GPU utilization while reducing infrastructure inefficiencies. HP will also demonstrate ZGX Nano and ZGX Fury, AI Stations purpose-built for enterprise edge AI development, enabling organizations to deploy and scale AI workloads closer to where data is created while reducing reliance on the cloud.

Hydra Host and Spectrum have an agreement allowing Hydra's AI Factory platform to use capacity that is owned, hosted and operated by Spectrum on its ECI. As a global AI compute provider serving companies in need of GPU resources, Hydra Host will help extend the reach of Spectrum's edge compute capabilities to organizations looking for advanced AI infrastructure solutions.

Humanoid Robot Demonstration Highlights the Intersection of AI, Robotics and Connectivity

As AI moves beyond digital tasks to influencing and interacting with the physical world, the need for immediate, precise interactions with compute becomes critical. WWT, NVIDIA and Spectrum are working together to advance distributed edge AI infrastructure for physical AI, combining Spectrum's ECI with WWT's system-integration expertise to help enable new applications such as robotics and industrial automation. WWT will exhibit a Unitree G1 humanoid robot in Spectrum's booth, demonstrating advanced automation and kinetic AI as it performs dynamic tasks that showcase how edge compute enables scaled, low-latency, private and secure processing for next-generation robotics.

Together, these collaborations show what happens when AI moves from responding to prompts to acting in the physical world: the advantage shifts to whoever already has computing power close to where people live and work. That's the infrastructure Spectrum has spent years building - and SCTE TechExpo 26 attendees can see it in action at the Spectrum booth (#B335) on the show floor.

About Spectrum

Spectrum is a suite of advanced communications services offered by Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHTR), the leading broadband and video company in the nation and the fastest growing mobile provider in its footprint, with services available to more than 70 million homes and small to large businesses across 45 states. Founded in 1993, Charter has evolved from providing cable TV to streaming, and from high-speed Internet to a converged broadband, WiFi and mobile experience. Over the Spectrum Fiber Broadband Network and supported by our 100% U.S.-based employees, the Company offers Seamless Connectivity and Entertainment with Spectrum Internet®, Mobile, TV and Voice products.  

More information can be found at corporate.charter.com.

SOURCE Charter Communications, Inc.

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New Agentic App Experience Makes It Easier to Discover, Compare and Plan a Princess Vacation

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Sept. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Princess Cruises becomes the first global cruise line to launch a native app in ChatGPT, bringing trusted, real-time cruise planning directly into the leading AI platform. The new Princess Cruises app puts the brand at the forefront of LLM-powered cruise discovery while keeping travelers connected to Princess' booking ecosystem.

"There is a broader shift in travel discovery as consumers increasingly use generative AI not simply to find information, but to help evaluate choices and plan increasingly complex trips," said Neena Vicente, Princess Cruises Vice President of Digital Commerce and Experience. "This launch places Princess at the forefront of agentic commerce in the cruising industry, creating a new entry point into cruise discovery that inspires guests to find the vacation that is right for them."

"Princess has been remarkably forward-thinking about how AI will reshape the way travelers discover and engage with brands," said Mobi CEO Andrew Boch. "Being the first global cruise line to bring its experience directly into LLMs reflects that vision. We have enormous respect for the Princess team, and I believe the foundation they're putting in place today will give them a real advantage as these new channels become an increasingly important part of travel."

How Princess Cruises is Integrating AI into Cruise Planning

Through the Princess native LLM app, ChatGPT can now connect directly with trusted information and services within the Princess Cruises' website. For guests, the experience is simple and seamless.

By tagging @princesscruises and installing the Princess app within ChatGPT, travelers can use everyday language to explore 330+ cruise destinations across 17 ships, check pricing and availability, and refine their plans within the same conversation – making cruise planning and booking simpler, faster and more intuitive.

Travelers can ask ChatGPT questions such as:

- "@princesscruises Show me seven-night cruises that visit Santorini in August 2027."

- "@princesscruises Help me plan a cruise to Alaska next summer."

Within the same conversation, travelers can also:

- Find cruises by destination, date and length

- Compare Princess itineraries and ships

- Explore ports, shore excursions, cruisetours, onboard experiences and packages

- Check current cruise pricing and availability

- Narrow options based on individual vacation preferences

The experience allows travelers to continue refining their plans naturally. A guest searching for an Alaska cruise, for example, could follow up by asking which options visit Glacier Bay National Park, which depart from Seattle, or how two itineraries differ – all within the same conversation.

"We're building ChatGPT to help people move from discovery to action. Princess Cruises' app brings that experience into the cruise industry, showing how AI platforms and travel brands can work together to make planning more seamless, useful and conversational," said Rosemary DeAragon, Head of Technology & Consumer Industries at OpenAI.

How to Add the Princess Cruises APP in ChatGPT

Getting started is simple:

- Login to your account OR create a free account.

- Add Princess App Plugin to ChatGPT:

- On desktop, select Plugins from the left-hand sidebar.

- On the mobile app, tap the menu icon in the top-left corner, select the settings gear icon at the bottom of the sidebar, then click Browse Plugins.

- Search Princess Cruises in the search box.

- Click the + to add, install and connect the Princess Cruises plugin.

- Once connected, open a new chat.

- Type a request and press Enter. For example: @princesscruises help me plan a cruise to Japan next spring.

The Princess Cruises app will initially be available through ChatGPT. Princess intends to expand to additional compatible AI platforms in the future, subject to platform availability and technical requirements.

ChatGPT is a trademark of OpenAI, Inc. Princess Cruises is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by OpenAI. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

About Princess Cruises:

Princess Cruises is The Love Boat, the world's most iconic cruise brand that delivers dream vacations to millions of guests every year in the most sought-after destinations on the largest ships that offer elite service personalisation and simplicity customary of small, yacht-class ships. Well-appointed staterooms, world class dining, grand performances, award-winning casinos and entertainment, luxurious spas, imaginative experiences and boundless activities blend with exclusive Princess MedallionClass service to create meaningful connections and unforgettable moments in the most incredible settings in the world - the Caribbean, Alaska, Panama Canal, Mexican Riviera, Europe, South America, Australia/New Zealand, the South Pacific, Hawaii, Asia, Canada/New England, Antarctica, and World Cruises. Star Princess, the brand's newest and most innovative ship, launched October 2025, and sister ship to Sun Princess, named Condé Nast Traveler Mega Ship of the Year for a second consecutive year. The company is part of Carnival Corporation, the world's largest cruise company with a portfolio of cruise lines operating in over 800 ports & destinations worldwide (NYSE: CCL).

SOURCE Princess Cruises

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