00:00 I’m Lee Rennick, Executive Director of CIO Communities for CIO. And I’m thrilled to be here at the CIO Symposium and 100 with Bryan Wise, CIO of 6sense.00;00;20;02 – 00;00;38;51UnknownBryan, thanks so much for joining us today. And congratulations on your CIO 100 award winning project. Thank you so much for having me. Yeah, happy to be honored. Let’s see I 100. It’s a great honor. Well, it’s great to have you here today. So 6sense has put together a really great project. I read through, actually, I was one of the judges.00;00;38;51 – 00;00;59;12UnknownI happened to read through some of those applications. And it’s an award winning project called Automation Domination. So could you tell me a little bit about it? Yeah. One of the things that, I usually come in as a CIO for sometimes pre-IPO companies, okay. All the time when you come in to an environment like that. Yeah, there’s a lot of fast growth, right?00;00;59;12 – 00;01;31;22UnknownAnd there’s a lot of situations where, sort of your business processes are not really as mature as it should be. And because of speed, maybe you’re doing things that are maybe manual and in sort of nature and you got to start maturing, right. Because end to end process is to be as efficient as possible. So automation domination is a program we put in place to really change the way that the company is thinking about, you know, how efficient automation of their processes and sort of not accepting the status quo, right.00;01;31;35 – 00;01;53;49UnknownAnd so the idea behind it was, we made it a top level company objective. And the key result was to save 67,000 manual people hours. Incredible way we came up with that was we took our employee base, about 1200 toys, and we said, what if we could save one hour per week per employee for the entire year?00;01;53;50 – 00;02;19;31UnknownSo that’s the rough math of why 67,000 hours hours became the goal. Yeah. And, the real meta deliverable, though, that was the key result of track. But the real meta deliverable was to change the culture and the way people think about what they’re doing. It was also to create an environment where people also thought about what they do and how it affects other groups.00;02;19;32 – 00;02;43;13UnknownSo in turn breaks down silos. Yeah. And, really just make it so that it becomes ingrained into our environment. And then for me as a CIO, I know there’s going to be process improvement, efficiencies, ultimately speed that helps our customers in the end. So we really did focus a lot on the, on the sales and marketing as a sort of, because that’s what we do.00;02;43;16 – 00;03;06;17UnknownYeah. And, it was just a great experience and it was so successful that, we are doing it again. And so our goal, our next goal is to say 100,000 hours. I should have said we actually save over 91,000 hours. My original goal, our next goal is 100,000. And and I already told the team I think it’s sandbagged and we need to actually increase that.00;03;06;18 – 00;03;28;45UnknownSo it’s a pretty awesome, experience. And now it’s sort of changed the entire culture. And I don’t have to really cheerleader anymore. You just hear. Right. Our team members are employees talking about it all the time. Yeah, because I’m sure they’re able to report back on productivity they’ve achieved through their business through through this great opportunity of really automation, domination and all that stuff.00;03;28;45 – 00;03;52;48UnknownSo that’s really cool and that’s really important. Right. And that idea of internal productivity, which is really enhancing your customer experiences too, is great. So I want to talk to you about that a little bit. I speak to a lot of CIOs about data and cloud. And some have moved out, like during Covid a lot when a lot of people put their data in the cloud and then, you know, they were looking at costs around that of processing data.00;03;52;52 – 00;04;11;26UnknownAnd, you know, some are now saying, well, I’m now thinking of bringing it back down on Prem, because I want to keep my most important, important data, right, right on prem or maybe on the edge of the cloud. Yeah. So I’ve talked to a lot of people about this. I would love to learn more about your approach to that around data and cloud.00;04;11;31 – 00;04;35;54UnknownIt’s really interesting to to think about what is the cloud going forward. So when you think about truly like on prem physically. Yeah, yeah, those would be data centers. And the world has changed a little bit that your data center is your cloud provider going forward. Right. You can control that. So it is really interesting sort of change in landscape.00;04;35;59 – 00;05;03;52UnknownAnd then like sixth sense where digitally native computing. Right. So our company never had anything on. Right. Right. Exactly. Always been in the cloud. Yeah I do think it’s some it is makes it faster because you can deploy products much faster. You have all capital intensive infrastructure. You need to buy, but it does require, a certain mindset of like controlling costs, right.00;05;03;57 – 00;05;28;38UnknownBecause of that ease of use into that computational sort of resources, you can get carried away. It also brings up interesting questions around, well, where is my data exactly? Yes. So there’s like data sovereignty. Yes. Where is it going? And so while it is simple to go to the cloud, it adds other complexity you have to consider.00;05;28;43 – 00;05;50;06UnknownYeah. Going forward, I do think that, most of the world will now be just digitally native. We have already seen that in tech companies. There are some exceptions depending on the industry you’re in. Yeah, but then there’s going to be situations in the future where if you get large enough, you know, you will start saying, what’s the cost benefit analysis on that?00;05;50;18 –

Sophos has completed its $859 million acquisition of managed cyber security services provider Secureworks in an all-cash transaction. It now claims to be the “leading pure-play” provider of Managed Detection and Response Services, supporting more than 28,000 global organisations. Secureworks is an Atlanta, U.S.-based cybersecurity company that focuses on threat detection, response, and managed security services. Its acquisition will build out Sophos’ security operations platform for mitigating cyber attacks. “The open and scalable platform helps organizations, especially those with diverse IT estates, safeguard current and future technology investments, providing greater operational efficiencies and return on cybersecurity spend,” Sophos said in a press release about the Secureworks acquisition. Furthermore, Sophos X-Ops, its threat intelligence unit, is expanding its capabilities with the addition of Secureworks’ Counter Threat Unit and security operations and advisory teams. SEE: IBM Acquires HashiCorp for $6.4 Billion, Expanding Hybrid Cloud Offerings “With the integration of Secureworks, our expanded services and product portfolio will provide even stronger end-to-end security solutions that will include identity threat detection and response (ITDR), next-gen SIEM and managed risk, all in a single open platform,” said Sophos CEO Joe Levy, in the release. “We will also be able to further advance our AI, threat intelligence and attack research through more diverse and deeper global telemetry that is analyst-tuned for the real-world. At every level, we are very excited about this next accelerated chapter for Sophos.” Sophos cottoned onto AI nearly a decade ago, leading to dominance Secureworks was acquired by Dell in 2011 for $612 million. Prior to this acquisition, it owned 79.2% of the company, but has been trying to sell up for a number of years. Secureworks has reportedly struggled to differentiate from other large cyber security providers, leading to a loss of share value. Meanwhile, U.K.-based Sophos posted turnover of £644 million in March 2024, marking 5.4% growth, and saw profits double from £100.1 to £183.2. Levy said that Sophos has managed to maintain dominance in MDR, in part, thanks to its “native artificial intelligence” that it first developed nearly a decade ago. He also cited its “mature competencies in ransomware detection, malware analysis and threat actor tradecraft.” Dell and other Secureworks shareholders will receive $8.50 per share in cash in the acquisition, which was originally announced last October. For now, both companies will continue to operate separately, supporting existing clients and developing their own new business opportunities. Cyber attacks are fueling an acquisition boom Cyber attacks are becoming an increasingly serious problem for businesses due to the growing sophistication of hackers that are now augmented by AI, widespread digitization, and the rising value of sensitive data. As a result, cyber security companies are in great demand, and are competing to provide the most comprehensive offering. SEE: 99% of UK Businesses Faced Cyber Attacks in the Last Year In 2024, Cisco acquired Splunk, a data analytics and security platform, for $28 billion, while Mastercard acquired threat intelligence company Recorded Future for $2.65 billion. U.S. private equity firm Thoma Bravo bought AI security firm Darktrace for $5.3 billion, after acquiring Sophos in 2020 for $3.9 billion. So far this year, 1Password, Tenable, WatchGuard, and Darktrace have all announced acquisitions to expand their security offerings. source

Swiss foodies could soon be served an experimental new delicacy: cultivated burgers. The lab-grown cuisine is the brainchild of Dutch scaleup Mosa Meat. Founded in 2013, the company cultivates beef from cells extracted from cows. The blend is then formed into burgers that are indistinguishable from the mince on supermarket shelves. The lucky cattle, meanwhile, amble back to the farm. Mosa calls the product “the world’s kindest burger.” Cultivated meat could also slash our carbon footprints, but the concept first needs support from regulators around the world. Swiss authorities are the latest target for Mosa. The company announced today that it’s requested a “novel food authorisation” in Switzerland that focuses on one ingredient: cultivated fat. Going fat-first is a local strategy. Like the EU, Switzerland requires cultivated ingredients to be submitted individually for regulatory approval. Fat is a logical starting point. It plays a critical role in delivering the taste, aroma, and mouthfeel of beef, making it essential to the culinary experience. Once approved, the fat can be mixed with plant-based ingredients into beefy products. Maarten Bosch, Mosa’s CEO, told TNW that the company plans to sell burgers formed from the blend. The scaleup is also in talks with plant-based food firms about adding cultivated fat to their products. “By starting with cultivated fat, we are paving the way to bring our first burgers to market while staying true to our long-term vision,” Bosch said. The cultivated meat market The Swiss submission marks the latest milestone in Mosa’s journey to commercialise cultivated meat. In 2013, the company’s chief scientific officer, Mark Post, created the world’s first cultivated burger. Costing a whopping €250,000 to make, the patty was also the world’s most expensive burger. Google co-founder Sergey Brin paid the bill. Three years later, Mosa Meat was founded. Since then, the company has pioneered a cultivation technique that removes the controversial fetal bovine serum, earned the industry’s first B Corp certificate, and raised over €130mn from investors including Leonardo DiCaprio. Mosa is now focusing on routes to market. Last year, the company hosted the first public tasting of cultivated beef in the EU. In January, Mosa submitted the union’s second-ever application to sell cultivated meat. The first was for a lab-grown foie gras made in (where else?) France. Across Europe, however, no cultivated meat for human consumption has been approved for sale yet. Globally, the only countries to have given the green light are Singapore, the US, and Isreal. Singapore became the first in 2020. Unlike Switzerland and the EU, the country assesses full cultivated meat products for approval. Mosa’s new application, by contrast, focuses on just the fat. The company expects the approval process to last around 18 months. source

Americans are deeply divided over Donald Trump’s plans and the way he is handling his job in the early weeks of his return to the presidency. Overall, 47% of U.S. adults approve of how Trump is handling his job as president, while 51% say they disapprove. And most of these views are strongly held: 37% strongly approve of his performance, while 40% strongly disapprove. Roughly a third (35%) say they support all or most of Trump’s policies and plans, with 17% saying they support some of them. Nearly half of adults (47%) say they support only a few or none of his plans.   Most Americans (73%), including majorities of both Republicans and Democrats, say Trump has clear goals for where he wants to lead the country. But Republicans are more likely to say he’ll be successful at achieving those goals. How does Trump’s approval so far stack up against his first term? Trump’s current 47% approval rating is higher today than it was at the beginning of his first term in office. His rating is also higher than at any other point in his first four-year term, and far higher than when he left office in early 2021 (Trump’s approval fell to 29% in the wake of the 2020 presidential election and his rejection of its results). Trump’s job ratings remain as polarized by party as ever: 84% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents currently approve of the job Trump is doing. By comparison, just 10% of Democrats and Democratic leaners approve of Trump’s job performance. The current partisan gap in Trump’s approval ratings is on par with much of his first term, though wider than in the last weeks of his term (when 60% of Republicans approved of his job performance). Trump’s job approval among demographic groups Today, Trump’s job approval stands at 47%, including 37% who say they strongly approve of the way he is handling his job as president. About half of Americans (51%) say they disapprove of Trump’s job performance so far, including four-in-ten who say they strongly disapprove. Trump’s ratings are more positive than negative among: Men (52% approve) White adults (55%) Adults 50 years and older (51%) High school diploma or less (53%) Trump’s ratings are more negative than positive among: Women (42% approve) Black adults (19%) Hispanic adults (36%) Under 50 years old (43%) College degree or more (40%) Trump’s personal traits, skills, fitness for office The public offers mixed assessments of Trump’s personal traits – including his leadership skills, mental fitness and physical fitness.  40% of Americans are extremely or very confident Trump has the leadership skills to do the job, while 43% are not too or not at all confident he does (16% are somewhat confident). Similarly, 39% have high confidence in Trump’s mental fitness for the presidency, while 44% have little or no confidence in this and 16% have some. And while 35% are extremely or very confident Trump is physically fit for the job, 41% are not too or not at all confident of this (24% express some confidence). On the three other dimensions asked about on the survey (choosing good advisers, acting ethically in office and respect for U.S. democratic values), substantially more Americans express little or no confidence in Trump than say they are extremely or very confident in him. 29% of Americans are at least very confident he acts ethically in office. A majority (54%) are not too or not at all confident he does. 31% are extremely or very confident he respects the country’s democratic values. A 53% majority lacks confidence in Trump on this trait. 31% are confident he picks good advisers, while 51% have little or no confidence that he does. Republicans’ views of some of Trump traits more positive than during 2024 campaign Among Republicans Today, a majority of Republicans are at least very confident in Trump across all six traits asked about on the survey. In particular, Republicans express a great deal of confidence when it comes to his leadership skills (76%), mental fitness (75%) and physical fitness (65%). Smaller majorities of Republicans express confidence that he acts ethically in office (55%), picks good advisers (60%) or respects the country’s Democratic values (60%). Still, Republican confidence that Trump acts ethically and picks good advisers is higher than it was in April 2024. Among Democrats Democrats express little to no confidence in Trump on any of the dimensions asked about on the survey. These views are nearly identical to Democratic opinion in April 2024. Will Trump be a successful or unsuccessful president in the long run? Americans are divided in their views of whether the Trump administration will be successful in the long run. While 35% say they think Trump will be successful in the long run, a similar share (33%) say they think he will be unsuccessful. Roughly three-in-ten (31%) say it is still too early to tell whether he will be successful. In a Center phone survey from January 2017, at the start of Trump’s first administration, most Americans (58%) said it was too early to tell whether or not he would be a successful president. About equal shares predicted he would be successful (21%) as said he’d be unsuccessful (20%). Today, far smaller shares say it is too early to tell what kind of president Trump will be – though those who offer a prediction remain divided about whether he will be successful or unsuccessful. As has long been the case for presidents, partisans have very different predictions: About two-thirds of Republicans say Trump will be successful, while 63% of Democrats say he will be unsuccessful. The reverse was true when Joe Biden took office. Trump’s agenda, plans and early executive actions Americans are also split in their support for Trump’s policies and plans, though more say they support few or none of Trump’s plans than say they support all or most of them. About a third (35%) of U.S. adults say they support all (9%) or most

In 2029, total retail sales of the Europe-5 economies — France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK — will reach €2.7 trillion, per Forrester’s recently published Europe-5 Online Retail Forecast, 2024 To 2029. Additionally, consumers in the Europe-5 countries will spend €565 billion in 2029 on online purchases, accounting for nearly 21% of total retail sales across these five markets. The report provides a five-year forecast for total retail sales, online retail sales, and online retail penetration of 22 product categories for each of the Europe-5 economies, with historical data going back to 2002. Forrester expects that total retail sales, online retail sales, and offline retail sales in these five countries will grow in line with pre-pandemic growth rates from 2025 and thereafter. Key Drivers For Growth Improving economic conditions will drive total retail sales growth. A combination of declining inflation, declining interest rates, falling unemployment rates, rising real disposable incomes, increasing retail trade volumes, and a strong rebound in tourism has created a positive economic climate that will support retail sales growth in the Europe-5 countries over the next five years. Discretionary retail sales, which have been subdued over the past two years due to increased spending on essentials because of high inflation, will regain momentum. Price, selection, and convenience will remain key drivers for online retail sales growth. Two-thirds of e-commerce growth in the Europe-5 markets will come from an increase in online spending per buyer — and one-third will come from an increase in the online buyer population. Marketplace-driven cross-border e-commerce growth and the increasing market presence of Chinese e-commerce platforms such as AliExpress, SHEIN, and Temu in Europe will contribute to e-commerce growth. Offline retail sales will continue to grow. Offline retail sales will see a boost in growth through retailers adopting omnichannel strategies to integrate online and offline experiences. Physical stores remain important because many consumers appreciate the tactile experience, the immediacy of purchasing, and the opportunity to try products before committing to a purchase. Additionally, stores function as convenient hubs for services like click-and-collect and returns, enhancing overall customer satisfaction. Retailers such as Decathlon and Zalando are expanding their physical footprint to complement their online platforms, recognizing that physical stores can also drive increased online sales in nearby (“catchment”) areas. Please contact your Forrester account manager or client success manager to set up a guidance session with me to learn more about e-commerce and overall retail growth in Europe. source

An email announcing Google’s elimination of various programmes intended to improve diversity at the company was sent to employees on Wednesday. The email was first seen by the Washington Post saw the email and was the first to report about it. Google is no longer setting hiring targets to improve representation, and is considering ceasing the publication of its annual diversity report. The company said the review of its diversity report is part of a wider evaluation of other DEI-related initiatives, such as grants and training, that “raise risk, or that aren’t as impactful as we’d hoped.” The tech giant is also examining recent court rulings and executive orders from U.S. President Donald Trump that prohibit federal contractors such as Google from engaging in DEI initiatives. President Trump has mandated the elimination of all DEI-related positions in federal agencies, the discontinuation of diversity initiatives among federal contractors, and the removal of language related to gender identity from federal communications and policies. He has also directed federal agencies to identify private-sector entities for potential investigations of unlawful DEI-related practices. Trump’s orders refer to DEI as “dangerous, demeaning, and immoral race- and sex-based preferences” and emphasises hiring based on “individual initiative, skills, performance, and hard work.” Despite these changes, Google maintained in its email that it would keep its resource groups for underrepresented employees and would continue expanding its offices in cities with diverse populations. However, it will eliminate “aspirational goals” tied to hiring targets. SEE: Only a Quarter of Cybersecurity Professionals are Women In a statement responding to the leaked email, Google told The Guardian: “We’re committed to creating a workplace where all our employees can succeed and have equal opportunities, and over the last year we’ve been reviewing our programs designed to help us get there. “We’ve updated our 10-k language to reflect this, and as a federal contractor, our teams are also evaluating changes required following recent court decisions and executive orders on this topic.” Google’s most recent diversity report stated that 33.8% of its U.S. employees were women, 5.7% were Black, and 7.5% were Latinx. Other big players in tech are also paring back DEI initiatives Under the current administration’s executive orders, some of Silicon Valley’s biggest players are scaling back their DEI initiatives. Alphabet, Google’s parent company, omitted that it was “committed to making diversity, equity, and inclusion part of everything we do and to growing a workforce that is representative of the users we serve” in its annual filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission this week, despite including it in every report since 2021. In December, Amazon removed some DEI-related wording from its website and informed employees it was “winding down outdated programs and materials” associated with inclusion in a company-wide memo, according to Bloomberg. Meta eliminated its DEI programs last month due to “legal and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts,” according to a memo seen by Axios. The state of Oklahoma has made a shareholder proxy proposal to Alphabet, Amazon, and four other large companies asking for “political neutrality” in their policies, essentially urging them, as an investor, to cease their DEI initiatives. Apple has recommended that its shareholders reject a similar proposal from a conservative think tank, calling it “unnecessary.” source

By Patrick Hoff ( February 7, 2025, 4:28 PM EST) — A spurned job applicant urged a California federal court to confer collective action status on his claim that Workday’s automated hiring tools violate federal age discrimination law, saying the artificial intelligence platform’s similar treatment of older job seekers was enough to warrant representative status…. Law360 is on it, so you are, too. A Law360 subscription puts you at the center of fast-moving legal issues, trends and developments so you can act with speed and confidence. Over 200 articles are published daily across more than 60 topics, industries, practice areas and jurisdictions. A Law360 subscription includes features such as Daily newsletters Expert analysis Mobile app Advanced search Judge information Real-time alerts 450K+ searchable archived articles And more! Experience Law360 today with a free 7-day trial. source

It’s B2B Summit season again here at Forrester, and we’re having fun getting ready. Actually, the season for this year’s event in Phoenix began in September, so our research, events, editorial, graphics, and production teams spend more time on this event than not, making “season” a relative term. For me, every B2B Summit cycle provides a number of journeys that are legitimately more valuable than their destination. I love every minute of our events, but the preparatory work makes me smarter, a better analyst, and more equipped to support our customers. This year, I have four sessions in development. The first, chronologically, is well aligned with the event theme of staying ahead of “buyer mayhem,” since our research shows that 90% of B2B buyers are already using generative AI (genAI) within their purchasing motions. In our practitioner panel — “GenAI, Cobots, And Your GTM Team: Where Do Humans Still Fit In?” — I’ll be hosting Gail Behun, Kevin Clemence, and Jonathan Kvarfordt in a lively conversation. We’ll focus on three takeaways: the table-stakes elements of genAI that delegates should absolutely already be using, the leading-edge attributes that they should currently be exploring, and the human-first duties of marketing, sales, and product leaders that should not be supported by AI. This session is representative of how B2B Summit is evolving: fewer one-to-many presentations and more interactive, audience-centric sessions. Next, I’m copresenting on Wednesday morning, April 2, with Betsy Summers from Forrester’s future-of-work research team, on “Managers As Coaches: Can You Wear Both Hats Successfully?” We’ll acknowledge that every B2B leader’s job description includes the expectation to coach their team members to higher skill, better performance, and a more fulfilling career. Yet the skill sets and outcomes for management, leading, and coaching are incredibly different — and often in direct conflict with each other. That leaves many managers and leaders to learn, often informally and blindly, how to coach their team members. Spoiler alert: If you’re a “Ted Lasso” fan, don’t miss this session. A second panel I’m participating in, “No Plan Is An Island: Program Planning For Improved Campaign Impact,” brings together my colleagues Amy Bills, Kelvin Gee, and Craig Moore for a fun and interactive discussion. When marketing campaigns are developed, not all creators think through the details of reputation, demand, engagement, and enablement: These need to be intricately aligned if there’s a hope for measurable success. I’ll be addressing the revenue enablement piece, focusing on the how, who, when, and where defined by our well-known activity-based enablement model. Finally, true to the spirit of B2B Summit delegates learning from one another and not only from Forrester analysts, our B2B Programs Of The Year Awards will reveal “what great looks like” for revenue leaders, enablers, and channel owners. Nominations are in, vetting is underway, and announcements are pending. Along with our B2B Return On Integration Honors, our seven B2B Programs Of The Year Awards sessions on Wednesday, April 2, will showcase amazing results from organizations willing to do the hard work to stay ahead of “buyer mayhem.” Here’s a great example of a recent B2B sales winner. source

Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More Riffusion, a San Francisco-based artificial intelligence startup, unveiled a free web platform today that enables anyone to create original music using AI, marking a significant advance in generative AI’s expansion into creative domains traditionally dominated by human artists. The company’s new AI model, called Fuzz, can generate complete songs from text descriptions, audio clips or visual prompts. What sets it apart is its ability to learn individual users’ musical preferences over time, creating an increasingly personalized creative experience. “We all love music, but so few of us make it. As we grow up, we’re told we don’t have enough creativity, talent or time. But we’re all inherently creative. We all have a sound within us,” said Seth Forsgren, Riffusion’s cofounder and CEO, in an exclusive interview with VentureBeat. A song created on Riffusion’s new AI platform demonstrates the technology with “Refresh Rate,” a track about keeping up with tech news. The song was generated from a simple text prompt by VentureBeat. (Credit: Riffusion) Fuzz: The AI that learns your musical taste and creates personalized tracks The platform’s release comes at a pivotal moment in AI music generation, as tech giants like Google, Meta and TikTok build upon Riffusion’s original insight of using diffusion models for audio synthesis. Industry veterans are taking notice. The Chainsmokers’ Alex Pall, who recently joined Riffusion’s advisory board, notes: “We always have a blast playing around with Riffusion and honestly have gotten some real value out of it professionally. Music is supposed to be fun, and unlocking creativity and ideas can be a challenge.” Professional musicians embrace AI as a creative partner, not a replacement The platform’s launch represents a significant shift in music creation accessibility. Unlike competitors that charge subscription fees, Riffusion is making its platform freely available worldwide. The company’s small team of 10 artists, engineers and researchers has focused on creating an intuitive interface that appeals to both professional musicians and casual enthusiasts. In blind human evaluations, Fuzz outperformed competitive models when given identical lyrics and sound prompts. The technology builds upon the company’s groundbreaking work in applying image diffusion techniques to audio spectrograms, a method that has since influenced research at major tech companies. From basement project to industry disruptor: Riffusion’s rapid rise The music industry faces a watershed moment as AI tools become more sophisticated. While some artists express concern about AI’s impact on creative professionals, others see it as an opportunity. Riffusion’s approach of positioning AI as a collaborative tool rather than a replacement for human creativity appears to be resonating with both amateur enthusiasts and professional musicians. The company, which raised $4 million in seed funding in October 2023, plans additional developments later this year. As the AI music generation space becomes increasingly competitive, Riffusion’s free-to-use model could prove disruptive to established players in the digital audio workspace market. source