Nestled in the heart of St. Louis, Missouri, Maypop is a coffee and garden shop known for its cozy charm and abundant greenery. People from all walks of life gather here to reconnect with nature and each other.

Julia Valleroy, Maypop’s administrative coordinator, was once one of those customers seeking a garden escape and a good cup of coffee. Now part of the team, Valleroy says Maypop’s dual business model still provides that warmth and magic for her and many others.

“You really don’t see [anything like Maypop] around here in the Midwest at all,” she says. “How many places can you go where you can get coffee and also buy some flowers for your front porch or a tropical houseplant that you’ve been dreaming of having?”

Many customers come to the shop to celebrate special occasions, like Yelp reviewer Angela P., who brought her son’s girlfriend to Maypop for her birthday. Both enthusiasts of coffee and gardening, Angela and her guest were thrilled to receive the best of both worlds — even in the summer heat.

“Maypop was definitely popping, but the capacity did not affect our experience one bit,” Angela wrote in her review. “It was a rather hot day, but the staff did not seem bothered. In fact, they were much more personable than I would have been had I been working in the heat. Kudos to all of the staff, both inside and out, for helping give one of the best birthday gifts that my girl has had.”

Customer service is a large part of what makes Maypop such a popular destination. The team provides expertise on everything from herbal tea to plant parenting, which Angela said greatly impacted her customer experience.

“They’re professional, so I trust they know what they’re talking about,” she says. “I wouldn’t just take the word off of the street, but going there, I felt a little more educated. They gave ideas on things that they liked [from the cafe]. The hibiscus tea—I was hesitant on getting that, but it was delicious. It was very refreshing.”

A knowledgeable team is also an asset when it comes to social media content. For instance, Valleroy recently worked with the garden staff to create an Instagram reel on how to plant a cactus without pricking yourself. She says social media is an opportunity to educate customers while showcasing your brand’s personality.

“Just make it fun and make it light to start with,” she says. “You’re going to get better with time. You want to always have your face out there in front of them so you’re not forgotten. I just envision whenever I’m typing up a post that I’m speaking to my friends.”

This strategy is successful online because Maypop’s team has also worked to establish friendly relationships on the ground. Community building is always at the forefront of Maypop’s mission, from its social media presence to its events strategy — for example, inviting vendors from across St. Louis to join its quarterly Maker’s Market.

“We thoughtfully select local artisans that like to create and share their passions,” Valleroy says. “That is something that really brings the community together, and it lifts people up and brings awareness to small businesses in our area. It just feels good to help support people, support our community and support each other.”

Not only is Maypop’s market a great way to build community, but it also promotes the brand locally. Valleroy creates digital fliers for the event and encourages vendors to share them, bolstering the brand’s 22,000+ Instagram followers and proving that many great marketing activations are free.

To further enhance community engagement, Valleroy regularly reads and responds to Maypop’s reviews on Yelp. Engaging with feedback shows you appreciate both your customers and your team. For example, Valleroy displays reviews in the staff room to inspire and motivate the team to keep innovating and improving.

“We like to switch things up,” she says. “Every week whenever I come in on Monday, especially in the garden center, they’ve moved things around and their displays, making it so when you come in, it feels new and fresh. We always evolve around at Maypop, always trying to do better.”

Since its founding in 2018, Maypop has attributed its blooming business to these core principles:

• Attitude speaks volumes. When conditions aren’t ideal, customers appreciate your professionalism and expertise even more. A helpful insight or thoughtful recommendation goes a long way on a hot or busy day.
• Stay top-of-mind through social media. Social media is made for connecting with friends, so approach your social media strategy like you’re talking to a friend about something new and fun. Even if your content is educational, use an accessible and lighthearted tone.
• Keep things fresh and exciting. Whether rearranging the store setup every week or hosting seasonal events for the community, switching things up keeps your staff and customers motivated.
• Create events to uplift local small businesses. Empower your fellow small business owners to become influencers for your brand. Not only will they get free promotion, but your business will get free exposure.
• Amplify customer reviews to staff. Shouting out a job well done and highlighting areas of improvement are key to motivating staff to outperform themselves.

Listen to the episode below to hear directly from Valleroy and Angela, and subscribe to Behind the Review for more from new business owners and reviewers every Thursday.

Editorial contributions by Erin Palmero and Emily Moon

This article is part of our ongoing America’s Favorite Mom & Pop Shops™ series highlighting family-owned and operated businesses.

OpenAI has added a new Sora video generator to ChatGPT that can create videos from text, animate images, and convert existing videos to new styles.

OpenAI made Sora broadly available to the general public on Monday after a video announcement showing off what the AI could do.

Related: Would You Pay $200 for ChatGPT? OpenAI’s New Reasoning Model Has a Hefty Price Tag.

Per OpenAI’s demo video, Sora starts with a text prompt, an image, or a video, which it then uses to generate videos in resolutions from 480p up to 1080p. It currently produces anywhere from 5 seconds to 20 seconds of video.

Sora can also generate different options for the same prompt. So if a user isn’t sure what they want their AI video to look like, they can ask Sora to generate one, two, or four variations of the same prompt to get more options.

OpenAI researchers demoed four variations of the prompt “A wide shot of woolly mammoths walking through a desert landscape” in a 480p resolution with 10 seconds of video.

How Much Does Sora Cost?

The cost of the service is included in the company’s paid plans.

ChatGPT Plus subscribers who pay $20 per month get up to 50 generations monthly. ChatGPT Pro subscribers, who pay $200 monthly, can generate an unlimited amount.

Related: OpenAI’s New Project Isn’t ‘Broadly’ Available Yet — But It’s Already Setting Off Alarm Bells

What Was the Sora Controversy?

OpenAI first previewed Sora in February. From the start, Sora was controversial and set off alarm bells because of its potential to create deepfakes or highly realistic videos of people.

Sora product engineering lead Rohan Sahai acknowledged the challenge with content moderation in the announcement video.

“We obviously have a big target on our back as OpenAI so we want to prevent illegal activity of Sora, but we also want to balance that with creative expression,” Sahai said. “We know that’s something that will be an ongoing challenge. We might not get it perfect on day one… Just give us that feedback, we’ll be iterating.”

Though OpenAI teased the dreamscapes that Sora could create from text, a small group of artists were upset with the company for asking them to be unpaid testers for Sora. These artists leaked Sora last month for a few hours before OpenAI shut down the test version entirely.

Related: Testers Leak OpenAI’s New AI Video Generator, Claiming They Were Used as ‘Unpaid Labor’

How Sora Might Help Businesses

Sora generates videos from text, images, and other videos, which could save businesses time and manpower when it comes to creating shareable content.

Businesses can use Sora to refresh videos they already have on hand or create new ones. This can work for creating ads, generating content for social media, and even brainstorming internally. For example, a 20-second video clip created by Sora could kickstart a meeting or create the basis for a social media campaign.

Related: Here’s What Sora, OpenAI’s Text-to-Video Creator, Can Do

This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Dylan Zajac, 21, a senior at Babson College. At 15, Zajac had a side hustle thrifting and fixing computers. The gig inspired Zajac to found his nonprofit Computers 4 People, which provides refurbished computers to people in need. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

^{Image Credit: Courtesy of Computers 4 People}

When did you start your side hustle, and where did you find the inspiration for it?
I started out by going to thrift stores around Brooklyn, New York, with my high school friends, just as a fun hobby. We’d take the PATH train from Hoboken and then skate from thrift store to thrift store, often hitting three or more in a single day. At these shops, we’d sift through piles of old electronics, hunting for hidden gems. When we found something valuable, we’d negotiate hard to get a deal. Some days we bought so many computers we had to stack them on our skateboards to roll them home.

Related: ‘I Just Hustled’: She Earned More Than $300,000 Wrapping Gifts Last Year — and It All Started With a Side Hustle

Once we got the computers back, we’d clean them up, fix them and sell them on Facebook Marketplace or eBay. Before long, this hobby turned into a real business. At one point, my entire bedroom was filled with random desktops and Apple PowerBooks. The margins were insane, sometimes as high as 80%!

What were some of the first steps you took to get your side hustle off the ground? How did it evolve into the nonprofit you run now?
One of the key things that made it possible for me to start my side hustle was having access to a laptop and the internet when I was in middle school. I’d spend hours watching YouTube tutorials on how to refurbish computers and learning the ins and outs of ecommerce platforms, which helped me reach hundreds of customers, all from my bedroom.

But as I got deeper into this, I started noticing a huge problem. On my trips to Brooklyn, I saw mountains of e-waste — computers tossed away by people and companies who had no idea how to dispose of them properly. At the same time, I realized just how many people in the world (2.6 billion to be exact) don’t have access to the digital world. That’s when the idea for Computers 4 People hit me.

I decided to turn what I’d learned into a nonprofit. Using online tutorials, I figured out how to incorporate, file for 501(c)(3) status, create bylaws and get everything up and running. The plan was simple: Collect used computers from individuals and companies, refurbish them and donate them to people and organizations in need. In February 2019, as a 15-year-old high school sophomore, I officially began my mission to eliminate the digital divide. I’ve been at it ever since.

Related: Their Nutty College Side Hustle Earned Over 6 Figures in Under 6 Months: ‘Revenue Doubled Every Month’

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced while building Computers 4 People, and how did you navigate them?
One of the toughest challenges was making sure Computers 4 People could run sustainably without me. Balancing school with running the nonprofit taught me that there’s really no such thing as balance; you just have to make it work. Many people assumed Computers 4 People would fall apart once I went to college, as most small projects like this do. To prove them wrong, I focused on creating a solid structure where responsibilities like accounting, HR and program management were clearly defined. I built proprietary systems to automate inventory, client management, donor management and federal/state grant reporting, which helped us scale and run efficiently.

Securing enough funding and computer donations remains an ongoing challenge as we work to meet the overwhelming demand for our services. With hundreds of individuals on our waiting list, the need often outpaces supply. To address this, we’ve been diversifying our funding sources, leveraging government grants, foundation grants, individual giving and earned revenue. Additionally, we’re partnering with some of the largest Fortune 100 and 500 companies to collect their used computers, ensuring we can continue effectively bridging the digital divide.

What do the organization’s growth and success metrics look like today?
To date, we have donated 3,668 computers to individuals in need, diverting over 55,000 pounds of electronic waste from landfills. Our programs have empowered thousands to access education, secure employment and thrive in the digital world. We’ve raised over $1.6 million through awarded grants and donations, allowing us to scale rapidly and grow our team to over a dozen full-time staff members.

Related: After Being Laid Off, He Started a Side Hustle With Facebook. It Made Almost $3 Million Last Year: ‘I Bought My Mom a $50,000 SUV.’

What do you enjoy most about working on this nonprofit?
I love solving tough problems, building technology to streamline processes and working with a team of mission-driven people all focused on the same goal. It’s also incredibly rewarding to receive messages every day about the life-changing impacts of our programs and to see those results reflected in our data.

What’s your advice for others hoping to start an organization that makes an impact?
Let community insights drive your solutions; don’t start something just because it seems impactful. Ensure your efforts create a net positive for the world, especially in the nonprofit space. In the beginning, don’t rely on others to handle the essentials. Learn how to manage incorporation, taxes, accounting, operations, technology, HR and setting up a board of directors yourself. It’s critical to understand your business and industry inside and out. Once you have a solid foundation, build a team that complements your skills and includes people who excel in areas like fundraising, accrual accounting or organization. Finally, don’t overthink every step: Act fast, make decisions quickly and keep moving forward.

Reddit has a new feature in the works that could make it both a ChatGPT and Google competitor.

Reddit announced on Monday that it has started to test a new AI chatbot called Reddit Answers. The bot provides conversational responses to user queries like “How can I get better sleep?” and “Is a hot dog a sandwich?” by drawing from what Redditors have written across the platform.

Reddit Answers summarizes what Redditors have said at the top of its response and links to the communities and posts across Reddit that it used to formulate the response at the bottom. Users have the option to dive deeper by clicking through the links or by asking a follow-up question.

^{Example of top of a Reddit Answers response. Credit: Reddit}

^{Example of the bottom of a Reddit Answers response. Credit: Reddit}

Reddit advertises Answers as a way to “Find answers from real people.”

Related: Here’s Why Reddit Turned Down an Acquisition Offer From Google in Its Early Days, According to Cofounder Alexis Ohanian

“AI-powered search is part of our longer-term vision to improve the search experience on Reddit – making it faster, smarter, and more relevant,” Reddit stated in a blog post.

The move puts Reddit in competition with search engines like Google and AI chatbots like ChatGPT. Instead of asking a question on Google and adding “Reddit” at the end of the search query to find an answer from Reddit, users can go straight to Reddit to ask the question.

The conversational format of the answer is also similar to ChatGPT, making Reddit Answers a combination of an AI chatbot and a Reddit search.

Related: Can ChatGPT Help Start a Business? I Tried the Latest Version, GPT-4o, to Find Out.

Google and OpenAI have already signed deals to use Reddit data in their AI responses. Google currently has about 90% of the search engine market, according to Stat Counter. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealed last week that ChatGPT has over 300 million weekly users and handles more than one billion messages per day.

Reddit Answers is currently only available in early access to a limited group of Redditors in the U.S., with plans to roll it out to additional countries.

If you’re hoping venture capital investors will pony up big money for your startup, you need to use your brain — all of it.

If you’re scratching your head to understand what that means, I’m referring to the false yet intriguing theory that people are right-brain or left-brain dominant. Left-brainers, like mathematicians and engineers, were once believed to be more logical and analytical. Right-brainers were more creative and artistic, like writers and painters.

While this scientific theory has been disproven, the idea behind it is a helpful illustration. If you’re an entrepreneur pitching to investors, you must utilize “both sides” of your brain to win them over.

To effectively tell your startup’s story, combine your business’s logical and analytical side with a creative, imaginative presentation. This is a multifaceted process that combines elements of art and science.

Understanding and embracing this dual nature of fundraising can significantly enhance your startup’s chances of success.

Related: What I Learned From The First 3 Months of Fundraising My 6-Figure Business

Left brain: The science of fundraising

If you’re a data lover and number cruncher, this section’s for you.

Understanding market dynamics, making data-driven decisions and employing accurate valuation techniques are crucial components of the scientific approach to fundraising.

Understanding market dynamics

As an entrepreneur, you have to understand your broader market and investor behavior.

Market research provides critical insights into trends, investor preferences and potential opportunities. Knowing your market and understanding what investors are looking for can give you a significant edge. Keen awareness of your market is more likely to attract investor interest.

Data-driven decisions

For left-brainers, data is king.

Startups need to back their proposals with extensive financial projections and metrics. This involves meticulous analysis of past performance, market potential and economic health. Investors won’t give you a second look unless you have a clear, realistic business plan reinforced by accurate data.

Startups presenting detailed financial projections and market analysis are likelier to instill confidence in potential investors because of their due diligence and foresight.

Valuation techniques

Accurate valuation is another critical scientific aspect of fundraising.

Suitable valuation methods include discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis or comparables. Selecting the right approach can significantly affect negotiations, making it easier to work alongside investors. Research and select a valuation method that aligns with your business model and market conditions. This strategic selection ensures your startup’s value proposition is realistic and appealing to investors.

Related: I Have Helped Founders Raise Millions. Here Are 7 Fundraising Mistakes I See Many Startups Making — And What You Need To Do Instead.

Right brain: The art of fundraising

Imagine fundraising like building a house.

If data and analytics are the foundation and base structure, the creative element is where you design the interior and exterior to create something unique that you can show off to the world.

It’s the human element of fundraising. Crafting a compelling narrative, building relationships and mastering persuasive communication are essential creative components that can sway investor decisions.

Crafting the narrative

Storytelling is a powerful tool in fundraising. Investors are not just buying into a product; they’re investing in a vision. A compelling story can set your startup apart in a crowded market.

Crafting a captivating narrative can emotionally resonate with investors and make your pitch more memorable. Focus on your mission, vision and the unique value you bring to the market, and use those pieces to weave together a tale that captures their imaginations.

Building relationships

Fundraising is more than a financial transaction. It’s about social transactions and building long-lasting relationships.

Networking plays a pivotal role in securing funding. A successful networking strategy means engaging with potential investors long before you ask them for funding. Rubbing shoulders with investors now can go a long way when you’re ready to raise funds. Building trust and rapport with investors creates a foundation for future support and collaboration and can make the fundraising process even smoother.

Communication is critical

Of course, building a solid network and nurturing meaningful relationships is pretty hard if you don’t know how to communicate effectively.

You can’t deliver a persuasive pitch unless you’re precise, confident and able to connect with your audience. That’s why you must continue honing your communication skills and practicing your pitch until it is clear, concise and compelling. Emphasize your strengths, be ready to address concerns and confidently present your vision for the future and your company’s immense potential.

Related: Think You’re Ready to Fundraise? Your Business Needs to Meet These 3 Milestones First.

Balancing art and science

A challenging aspect of fundraising lies in balancing the scientific and artistic elements. However, uniting the left and right brain can create a compelling and valuable proposition for investors.

Integrating both approaches

Successful fundraising requires both sides of the brain.

Startups must present their financials and market analysis while weaving a compelling narrative. Combining complex data with your brand’s story creates a comprehensive pitch, and investors need to see the potential for growth and the passion behind your vision.

This integration helps create a balanced and persuasive pitch.

Combining brain power

While some founders have a killer combination of science savvy and creative genius, most have the left side down but need a dominant right-brain partner to take things to the next level.

This is where building a core team is critical. Finding people who can understand your idea, see how to build on it and showcase it in a new way will help create a stronger organization that will shine in front of investors.

If you are an entrepreneur, it’s your responsibility to humble yourself, understand that you can’t control everything and put your trust in others who you know can excel in areas that aren’t your forte. That’s a true display of leadership.

Using your head

Securing funding is a pivotal step for any startup, and harnessing the full power of both sides of the brain is vital to achieving this goal.

By understanding market dynamics, leveraging data, crafting compelling narratives, building relationships and maintaining a long-term vision, startups can create a strong foundation for their fundraising efforts.

Balancing these elements can lead to more successful and rewarding fundraising experiences. Startups that embrace the art and science of fundraising are well-equipped to attract investors and drive their vision forward.

After a lackluster October jobs report due to strikes and storms, November’s jobs report shows that the market is back to healthy levels.

The Employment Situation report, released on Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, revealed that the U.S. economy added 227,000 new jobs in November, higher than the 214,000 jobs expected by economists polled by The Wall Street Journal.

The unemployment rate also rose from 4.1% in October to 4.2% in November. The number of unemployed people is now at 7.1 million, higher than it was at the same time last year when there were 6.3 million people out of work.

Related: ‘Gradual Recalibration:’ The Fed Cuts Rates By 0.25%, Just as Economists Predicted. Here’s What It Means for Your Wallet.

The healthcare, leisure and hospitality, and government sectors added 54,000, 53,000, and 33,000 new jobs last month, respectively, while the retail sector lost 28,000 jobs.

After the report’s release, EY senior economist Lydia Boussour told Entrepreneur in an emailed statement that the November employment report “showed a broad-based but temporary rebound in payroll gains of 227,000 as disruptions from strikes and hurricanes faded.”

“However, weaker household survey data confirmed labor market conditions are undeniably cooling with the unemployment rate rising to 4.25%,” she added.

November’s employment report exceeded expectations with jobs added, unlike October’s report, which underperformed. In October, the economy only added 12,000 new jobs, the smallest gain since December 2020 and below the 100,000 additions expected.

Related: The U.S. Economy Was Expected to Add 100,000 Jobs in October—It Added 12,000. Here’s Why.

Looking ahead, Boussour expects the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) to cut the federal funds rate by 25 basis points, or 0.25%, at the upcoming December 17-18 policy meeting. The federal funds rate is the rate that banks pay each other on loans. She also forecasts that the unemployment rate will reach 4.5% by mid-2025.

“Going forward, policymakers at the Fed will tread carefully,” Boussour said.

There’s a new level of ChatGPT available, but its $200-a-month price tag has the company pitching it to researchers and heavy users who are trying to push boundaries with the AI chatbot.

OpenAI introduced the new plan, ChatGPT Pro, on Thursday. It’s 10 times more expensive than ChatGPT Plus, which costs $20 per month. Other plans available include the $60 per month per user ChatGPT Enterprise and the $25 per month per user ChatGPT Teams.

Related: Can ChatGPT Help Start a Business? I Tried GPT-4o to Find Out.

For the added cost, a user gets unlimited access to o1, a new AI model that OpenAI introduced on Thursday. The o1 model is better than a human expert at PhD level science questions and has a reduced error rate and faster response time compared to previous models, per OpenAI’s release video. Pro users also have unlimited access to the older GPT-4o and Advanced Voice, a capability that allows for natural spoken conversations with ChatGPT.

In contrast, the $20 ChatGPT Plus plan only offers limited access to o1 and Advanced Voice, which means that subscribers have a limit on how much they can talk to ChatGPT or use the chatbot’s most advanced model.

“A lot of people, power users of ChatGPT at this point, they really use it a lot, they want more compute than $20 a month can buy,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated in a video announcement.

On Thursday, OpenAI also introduced o1 pro mode, an AI model that the company says can tackle the hardest math, science, and programming problems. Only Pro members can access o1 pro mode.

OpenAI says that researchers, engineers, and other heavy AI users will make the best use of Pro. The AI giant awarded 10 grants of ChatGPT Pro to U.S. academics on Thursday, including aging and dementia researcher Rhoda Au⁠, who is a professor of anatomy and neurobiology at Boston University’s Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine.

ChatGPT has more than 11 million paying subscribers as of September and 200 weekly active users overall.

Related: Certain Words Reportedly Will Break ChatGPT. I Tried Them — Here’s What Happened.

In April, the U.S. Senate passed a law that would force TikTok to separate from its Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, within a year—or face a national ban. On Friday, a U.S. appeals court upheld the law.

This means TikTok could be banned starting January 19, 2025.

Related: TikTok Sues U.S. to Block Ban, Sale Mandate, Says Divesting From ByteDance ‘Not Possible’

In May, TikTok sued to try to block the law, arguing that it infringed on the free speech of its users, but in the ruling, the judges wrote that it does not “contravene the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States,” and it also does not “violate the Fifth Amendment guarantee of equal protection of the laws.”

In a statement, TikTok suggested it would appeal the decision.

“The Supreme Court has an established historical record of protecting Americans’ right to free speech, and we expect they will do just that on this important constitutional issue,” said company spokesperson Michael Hughes, per CNN. “Unfortunately, the TikTok ban was conceived and pushed through based upon inaccurate, flawed and hypothetical information, resulting in outright censorship of the American people. The TikTok ban, unless stopped, will silence the voices of over 170 million Americans here in the US and around the world on January 19th, 2025.”

TikTok has around 170 million users in the U.S., according to reports.

Related: I Have Over 214,000 Followers on TikTok. Here’s What I’m Doing Right Now In Case a Ban Happens.

ByteDance previously noted that it will not sell.

In a September, U.S. government attorneys argued that TikTok’s algorithm is “controlled by its Chinese parent company,” which may influence Americans on the app.

TikTok users, meanwhile, are posting their complaints and sorrows.

“This is nuts,” one user said in a video, while others said they still have their “hopes that TikTok will not get banned” but that “it doesn’t look good.”

Some users said they would start posting more on YouTube, just in case.

If you’re busy operating a business or establishing a side hustle, shopping for groceries and managing household needs with trips across town can be challenging. Fortunately, Costco Gold Star Members can access a far-ranging selection of supplies under one roof and beyond.

During Cyber Week, you can get a Costco 1-Year Gold Star Membership plus a $40 Digital Costco Shop Card* for only $65 and start shopping smarter. Stretch your budget by exploring the advantages of a Gold Star Membership, which features an additional Household Card that can be used by one adult member of your household that can be used on favorite products at any location.

Offering access to more than 500 warehouses nationwide, Costco is an ideal destination for those looking to dominate their to-do list. Buy smarter with bulk goods and discover new value from brand names.

Stock your kitchen, find quality everyday items, and see what’s new in electronic devices and furniture, all while possibly getting a car tire installed. That experience awaits with a Costco Gold Star Membership.

The impact extends beyond store aisles, as a Gold Star Membership comes complete with access to Costco Travel for exclusive vacation opportunities, along with Costco Optical and Costco Pharmacy at select locations. Plus, enjoy members-only savings on fuel when you refill your vehicle’s tank at a Costco Gas Station before heading home. You can even use your perks when ordering online at Costco.com.

It’s easy to start using your Costco Gold Star Membership right away. Just purchase your membership here and provide a valid email address. Within two weeks of redeeming your membership purchase, you’ll receive your $45 Digital Costco Shop Card* via email. Use it at a Costco location nearby or shop online. Keep in mind that this offer is only available for new members or those who had their membership expired more than 18 months ago.

Gain greater value on a variety of household needs and much more by grabbing this Cyber Week deal: purchase a Costco 1-Year Gold Star Membership with a $40 Digital Costco Shop Card* for only $65 while supplies last. This offer ends tomorrow, December 8, at 11:59 p.m. PT.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

*Services are provided to Costco members by third parties.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai says that when it comes to AI, “we are in the earliest stages of a profound shift.”

Pichai explained at the New York Times DealBook Summit on Wednesday that AI models are going to get better at reasoning and carrying out actions reliably over the next few years. The upgrades to AI models will have an impact on Google Search, which will “change profoundly” next year, he stated.

“I think we are going to be able to tackle more complex questions than ever before,” Pichai said. “I think you’ll be surprised even early in ’25 the kind of newer things Search can do compared to where it is today.”

Google has nearly 90% of the global search engine market, according to Stat Counter.

^{Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, at DealBook. Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images}

Google has already pushed a series of AI-related changes to search this year, including adding AI overview summaries to the top of search results in May. That same month, reports emerged of Google’s AI overviews hallucinating, or telling users to eat rocks and make pizza sauce with glue.

Since its initial rollout, AI overviews have come to rely less on sources like Reddit and more on sites with specialized expertise, like Healthline and Runnersworld, according to a June study from SEO platform SE Ranking.

Related: Google’s AI Overview Has Changed Since Its Debut, and These Websites Have Benefitted the Most

Earlier this week, Google introduced a new AI model that beat the world’s most accurate modeling system in predicting the weather. It even predicted extreme weather, even though it was not trained to do so.

At DealBook, Pichai also said that Google is also gearing up to release its next generation of AI models.

“I just think there’s so much innovation ahead,” he said.