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The Future of Shopping? AI + Actual Humans.
AI has changed how consumers shop by speeding up research. But one thing hasn’t changed: shoppers still trust people more than AI.
Levanta’s new Affiliate 3.0 Consumer Report reveals a major shift in how shoppers blend AI tools with human influence. Consumers use AI to explore options, but when it comes time to buy, they still turn to creators, communities, and real experiences to validate their decisions.
The data shows:
Only 10% of shoppers buy through AI-recommended links
87% discover products through creators, blogs, or communities they trust
Human sources like reviews and creators rank higher in trust than AI recommendations
The most effective brands are combining AI discovery with authentic human influence to drive measurable conversions.
Affiliate marketing isn’t being replaced by AI, it’s being amplified by it.
Featured
💸 xAI Raises Series E — Why This Funding Round Signals the Next Phase of the AI Race
AI labs aren’t just competing on model quality anymore — they’re competing on compute, capital, and speed. And with its latest Series E funding round, xAI is making it clear that it intends to stay in the top tier of that race.
Backed by major investors and closely tied to X (formerly Twitter), xAI’s new raise isn’t just about growth — it’s about scale, infrastructure, and independence.
Here’s what the Series E means, and why it matters.
🔍 What Was Announced
xAI announced the closing of a Series E funding round, bringing in significant new capital to accelerate:
Model training and research
Compute and data-center expansion
Deployment of Grok across consumer and enterprise surfaces
Long-term AI infrastructure investments
While exact numbers matter less than intent, the signal is clear: xAI is gearing up for capital-intensive, frontier-scale AI development.
🧠 Why xAI Needs This Much Capital
Frontier AI is no longer a software-only problem.
To compete, companies need:
Massive GPU clusters
Long-term compute contracts
Energy and cooling infrastructure
Specialized talent at global scale
xAI’s funding supports its ambition to build vertically integrated AI systems, rather than relying entirely on external providers.
This mirrors a broader industry shift: the biggest constraint in AI today isn’t ideas — it’s infrastructure.
⚙️ How xAI Is Positioning Itself Differently
Unlike some labs focused primarily on enterprise APIs, xAI has a unique advantage: direct distribution.
Through its integration with X, xAI can:
Deploy models to a massive, real-time data stream
Test features at consumer scale quickly
Iterate models using live feedback loops
That tight coupling between model development and platform usage gives xAI a faster path from research → deployment → refinement.
🧩 What This Means for Grok
The Series E funding is also a vote of confidence in Grok, xAI’s flagship model.
Expect continued focus on:
Real-time knowledge and event awareness
Conversational AI embedded into social platforms
Tool use and agent-style behaviors
Faster iteration cycles compared to traditional release cadences
This positions Grok less as a standalone chatbot — and more as ambient intelligence inside a live platform.
🌍 The Bigger Industry Signal
xAI’s Series E reinforces several trends shaping AI in 2026 and beyond:
1. Capital Is Becoming the Moat
Raising large rounds isn’t optional anymore — it’s table stakes for training and serving frontier models.
2. Vertical Integration Wins
Owning data, distribution, and deployment channels reduces dependence on external platforms.
3. AI Labs Are Becoming Infrastructure Companies
AI leaders increasingly resemble cloud providers, utilities, and platform operators — not traditional startups.
⚠️ The Tradeoffs Ahead
Of course, scaling at this level comes with challenges:
High burn rates
Pressure to deliver visible progress
Regulatory and governance scrutiny
Balancing openness with control
xAI’s success will depend not just on funding — but on execution.
🎯 Final Thoughts
The Series E round isn’t about short-term features — it’s about long-term positioning.
xAI is signaling that it plans to:
Compete at the highest level of AI capability
Control more of its own infrastructure
Ship AI directly into one of the world’s largest real-time platforms
Whether or not xAI ultimately leads the pack, this raise confirms one thing: the AI race is now an infrastructure race, and only a handful of players will be able to run it.
The Future of Shopping? AI + Actual Humans.
AI has changed how consumers shop, but people still drive decisions. Levanta’s research shows affiliate and creator content continues to influence conversions, plus it now shapes the product recommendations AI delivers. Affiliate marketing isn’t being replaced by AI, it’s being amplified.
AI Spotlight: Higgsfield—Transforming Static Images into Cinematic Videos |
Higgsfield is an AI-powered video generation platform designed to empower creators with advanced cinematic tools. By converting static images into dynamic videos, Higgsfield offers a suite of features that bring professional-grade motion effects to users of all skill levels. |
🎬 Key Features: Extensive Motion Controls: Higgsfield provides over 50 cinematic camera movements, including dolly zooms, crash zooms, FPV drone shots, and more, allowing users to craft visually compelling narratives. Image-to-Video Conversion: Users can upload a single image and apply motion effects to generate short videos, making it ideal for social media content, advertisements, and storytelling. User-Friendly Interface: The platform is designed for ease of use, enabling creators without extensive technical backgrounds to produce high-quality videos. Customizable Effects: Higgsfield offers a variety of visual effects, such as disintegration, levitation, and explosions, to enhance the creative possibilities. 💰 Pricing Plans: Basic Plan: Includes 150 credits per month, suitable for casual creators. Pro Plan: Offers 600 credits per month, access to advanced models, and additional features for professional use. Ultimate Plan: Provides 1500 credits per month, priority access to new features, and support for up to 4 concurrent jobs. Credit Packs: One-time purchase options are available for users needing additional credits without changing their subscription plan. 🚀 Getting Started: Sign Up: Create an account on Higgsfield's website. Choose a Motion Effect: Select from the extensive library of camera movements and visual effects. Upload an Image: Provide a high-quality image to serve as the base for your video. Generate Video: Apply the chosen effects and generate your video within minutes. 📣 My Take: Higgsfield stands out as a powerful tool for creators seeking to infuse their content with cinematic flair without the need for complex software or equipment. Its combination of user-friendly design and professional-grade effects makes it a valuable asset for marketers, storytellers, and social media influencers aiming to elevate their visual content. |
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