Home Blog Page 581

Netflix’s deleted AI Arcane Season 2 poster

0

Netflix’s Troubling Relationship with AI Continues

AI-Generated Image Prompts Backlash

Netflix has a history of using AI, despite the controversy surrounding its use. The latest incident involves the use of generative AI to modify an image promoting the second season of the popular animated series Arcane. The image, featuring the character Vi, was criticized for its anatomically incorrect hand. The reaction was swift, with fans expressing their discontent and even Riot Games, the production company behind Arcane, speaking out against the use of AI in promoting the show.

Riot Games’ Stance on AI

In a statement, Arcane brand lead Alex Shahmiri acknowledged the mistake and clarified that Riot Games has a strict policy against using AI to promote their titles, including Arcane. "We have a strict stance of no AI for anything relating to Arcane cause it’s disrespectful to the incredible artists who worked on the show. This image was a mistake and has since been removed," Shahmiri stated.

AI in Creative Industries

The use of AI in creative industries is a hot topic, with some artists and designers using it to enhance their work, while others are more skeptical. Shahmiri’s personal stance on AI is that it should not replace human creativity, stating, "What makes art so special is the human connection and feeling. Be it through art, music, or any creative medium – it’s something I never want to see replaced by AI."

Conclusion

The controversy surrounding Netflix’s use of AI highlights the need for clear guidelines and transparency in the use of AI in creative industries. While AI can be a powerful tool, its use should be carefully considered to ensure that it does not compromise the integrity of artistic works.

FAQs

Q: What is generative AI?
A: Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence that can create new content, such as images, music, or text, based on patterns and algorithms.

Q: Is AI being used in the production of Arcane?
A: According to Riot Games, AI is not being used in the production of Arcane.

Q: Will AI be used in other Riot Games titles, such as Valorant and League of Legends?
A: According to Alex Shahmiri, the no AI policy applies only to Arcane, and he cannot speak to the use of AI in other Riot Games titles.

Q: Is Netflix investigating the use of AI in game development?
A: Yes, Netflix has announced an investigation into the use of AI in game development, following controversy surrounding the firing of game developers.

The Best Free Web Browser 3D Modeling Apps

0

Best Web Browser 3D Modelling Apps

The best web browser 3D modelling apps open up a new world of digital art to creatives who may not have used 3D software before. 3D modelling, and 3D art in general, has always had somewhat of a steep learning curve, but in recent years the barriers to entry have dropped away, with software like Blender being free to use and ZBrush for iPad opening up 3D sculpting to new artists.

Best Web Browser 3D Modelling Apps: Womp

Womp is great for abstract objects and has a lovely render quality. Although there are a handful of primitive objects in Womp, the real fun is to be found in creating organic objects. Similarly to Project Neo’s Blend function (see below), objects in close proximity kind of liquify and morph into one contiguous form.

Best Web Browser 3D Modelling Apps: Vectary

Vectary is a very impressive web browser 3D modelling tool. Load up one of the sample scenes and you’ll see a great renderer, but also it reveals how objects work so you can learn as you go. This browser app has a similar workflow to a desktop 3D app, but the interface feels more streamlined and functional, again making it a good learning tool.

Best Web Browser 3D Modelling Apps: SculptGL

SculptGL is a free online 3D modeling tool that allows you to create and edit 3D models directly in your web browser. It has a simple and intuitive interface that makes it easy to use, even for those with no prior experience with 3D modeling.

Best Web Browser 3D Modelling Apps: Project Neo

Project Neo is Adobe’s new 3D web app, it’s in Beta and free to use. Adobe has dabbled with 3D a few times, from limited 3D tools inside Photoshop, through to its acquisition of the industry standard Substance 3D apps.

Best Web Browser 3D Modelling Apps: Spline

Spline is another fun browser-based 3D app. It looks and feels fun to use and, while it may not have some of the features of Vectary, it is deceptively powerful. Complex scenes can be built fast, along with materials and lighting, as well as camera views that can be shared with others.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the best web browser 3D modelling apps offer a stripped-back feature set, making them much simpler to get started with, or to simply dip a toe into, to test the waters and decide if 3D is something that could fit into their creative lives.

FAQs

  • Are there any limitations to browser-based 3D creation?
    Yes. Web apps tend not to be so feature-packed as desktop versions, so you won’t find fluid sims, or rigging tools, although some do offer a good range of tools, like Vectary.
  • Can models made in browser-based apps be used in other software?
    Most of these web apps offer export options, but they vary, so check compatibility with your chosen desktop app. For example, Project Neo exports 2D files, ideal for use in Illustrator and Photoshop.
  • Do I need a powerful laptop to use browser-based 3D apps?
    No. So long as you have a reasonable internet connection, you will be fine, as these apps use cloud computing to process, leaving your laptop’s resources for other things.
  • What is the best website for 3D models?
    If you’re new to 3D modelling and are using the browser apps on this list, then you can also visit sites like TurboSquid to sell or buy models. Similarly, visit 3D Warehouse.

Michigan Virtual survey highlights K-12 educators’ AI beliefs, needs

Key Takeaways

Michigan Virtual survey of over 1,000 educators reveals higher trust in AI among building and district administrators, underscoring the need for successful AI implementation to address teacher concerns and focus on ethical considerations.

Building and District Administrators Have High Trust in AI and Deeper Experience with AI

Only approximately 30% of district administrators reported that their school, school board, or governing body officially adopted AI policy or guidelines, yet over 50% of educators reported using AI in their professional role, with an additional 15% using it personally but not professionally.

Educators are Using AI in Their Classrooms, Regardless of Official District Policy

There exists a group of AI skeptics that cannot be ignored, with 6% of educators reporting they are not looking for support on AI integration and will not need it in the future, 20% have not used AI and do not plan to, and approximately 10% do not think AI will be used significantly in classrooms in the next 5 years.

Discussions Around AI are Just Getting Started

A vast majority of educators, over 80%, feel that AI will play a "very significant" or "somewhat significant" role in education in the next 5 years, but there exists a large gap between how and when educators are using AI now and where they expect to be in the future.

Conclusion

The findings from this study highlight both the enthusiasm and apprehensions surrounding AI integration in education. As district-level leaders, it is our responsibility to listen to concerns, be forward-thinking, and weave in the unique perspectives of the communities we serve. It seems evident that AI is only going to grow more prevalent in our world. District leaders must use this data and input from our communities to lead forward with; robust training, clear policies, thoughtful education, and assurance that AI is used ethically and effectively to enhance learning and prepare our children for this changing world.

FAQs

Q: What is the main takeaway from the survey?
A: The main takeaway is that building and district administrators have higher trust in AI and deeper experience with AI, while educators are already using AI in their classrooms, regardless of official district policy.

Q: What is the most important aspect of AI integration in education?
A: The most important aspect is addressing teacher concerns and focusing on ethical considerations in addition to logistical ones.

Q: What is the current state of AI use in education?
A: The current state is that many educators are already using AI in their classrooms, but there is a need for clear AI policies and guidelines to guide the use that is already taking place.

Q: What are the next steps for district leaders?
A: The next steps for district leaders are to listen to concerns, be forward-thinking, and weave in the unique perspectives of the communities they serve, while leading forward with robust training, clear policies, thoughtful education, and assurance that AI is used ethically and effectively.

Q: What is the potential impact of AI on education?
A: The potential impact is that AI has the potential to revolutionize the educational experience for educators and students, and it is crucial that we understand how to leverage this experience within schools.

Amazon to Invest Another $4 Billion in Anthropic

0

Amazon Invests $4 Billion in Claude AI Maker Anthropic, Bringing Total Funding to $8 Billion

Amazon announced today that it is pumping another $4 billion into Claude AI maker Anthropic, bringing its total funding amount to $8 billion. This latest round follows $1.25 billion last September and another $2.75 billion in March.

Deepening Partnership with Amazon Web Services

Along with the money, Amazon wrote in its blog post that Amazon Web Services (AWS) would be named Anthropic’s “primary training partner” and that the OpenAI rival would use Trainium and Inferentia chips for future models.

Future of Alexa Voice Assistant

The investment and deeper partnership align with previous reporting by Reuters that Claude will power Amazon’s new Alexa voice assistant. The improved Alexa — the release of which has been delayed — reportedly performed better with Claude than it did when using Amazon’s in-house model. The release of the revamped Alexa feature is now slated for 2025.

Competition in the AI Arms Race

Amazon is at risk of falling further behind in the AI arms race compared to competitors like Microsoft and OpenAI. In the new version of Alexa, Amazon promised a more conversational tone, similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT voice mode — but some beta users reported slow, stilted, and unhelpful responses. It also apparently has trouble turning on the lights.

Conclusion

Amazon’s significant investment in Anthropic underscores its commitment to advancing the field of artificial intelligence. However, the company’s struggles to keep pace with competitors in the AI arms race may have significant implications for its future success.

FAQs

Q: What is the total funding amount for Anthropic after Amazon’s latest investment?
A: The total funding amount for Anthropic is $8 billion after Amazon’s latest investment of $4 billion.

Q: What is the purpose of the deeper partnership between Amazon and Anthropic?
A: The partnership aims to improve the performance of Amazon’s new Alexa voice assistant using Anthropic’s Claude AI technology.

Q: When can we expect the release of the revamped Alexa feature?
A: The release of the revamped Alexa feature is now slated for 2025.

Q: Why is Amazon struggling in the AI arms race?
A: Amazon is struggling to keep pace with competitors like Microsoft and OpenAI in the AI arms race, which may have significant implications for its future success.

Google Pixel 9 Pro: Near-Perfection at 20% Off

0

Google Pixel 9 Pro Black Friday Deal: A High-End Smartphone for Creatives

Introduction

If you’re in the market for a high-end smartphone that can handle creative tasks, look no further. A remarkable Black Friday deal on the Google Pixel 9 Pro has knocked off $200 from its original price, making it an excellent choice for creatives.

The Deal

The Google Pixel 9 Pro is available at Amazon for $799, down from its original price of $999. This is an incredible opportunity to get your hands on a top-notch smartphone that’s perfect for creative professionals.

Why the Google Pixel 9 Pro is a Great Choice for Creatives

The Google Pixel 9 Pro is a clever AI phone that works smarter, not harder. Our reviewers gave it a near-perfect 4.5 stars out of 5, praising its ability to use AI in a way that never feels unwanted, but rather like a little bit of magic. The camera is also top-end, making it essential for all types of creatives.

What’s Included in the Deal

  • Google Pixel 9 Pro smartphone
  • $200 discount from the original price
  • Available at Amazon

Other Deals You Might Be Interested In

  • iPad Black Friday Deals: Keep up-to-date with our live hub for the best iPad Black Friday deals.
  • MacBook Black Friday Deals: We’re also tracking the best MacBook Black Friday deals for you.

Conclusion

If you’re a creative looking for a high-end smartphone that can handle your demanding tasks, the Google Pixel 9 Pro Black Friday deal is an opportunity you won’t want to miss. With its impressive camera and clever AI features, this phone is a must-have for any serious creative.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Q: What is the original price of the Google Pixel 9 Pro?
    A: The original price of the Google Pixel 9 Pro is $999.
  • Q: How much is the discount on the Google Pixel 9 Pro?
    A: The discount is $200, bringing the price down to $799.
  • Q: Where can I buy the Google Pixel 9 Pro?
    A: The Google Pixel 9 Pro is available at Amazon.
  • Q: Is this deal available outside the US?
    A: Yes, the best Google Pixel 9 Pro prices are available worldwide.

Visualizing Neural Networks with the Grand Tour

0

Introduction

The Grand Tour is a classic visualization technique for high-dimensional point clouds that projects a high-dimensional dataset into two dimensions.

Over time, the Grand Tour smoothly animates its projection so that every possible view of the dataset is (eventually) presented to the viewer.

Unlike modern nonlinear projection methods such as t-SNE and UMAP, the Grand Tour is fundamentally a linear method.

In this article, we show how to leverage the linearity of the Grand Tour to enable a number of capabilities that are uniquely useful to visualize the behavior of neural networks.

Concretely, we present three use cases of interest: visualizing the training process as the network weights change, visualizing the layer-to-layer behavior as the data goes through the network and visualizing both how adversarial examples are crafted and how they fool a neural network.

Introduction

Deep neural networks often achieve best-in-class performance in supervised learning contests such as the ImageNet Large Scale Visual Recognition Challenge (ILSVRC).

Unfortunately, their decision process is notoriously hard to interpret, and their training process is often hard to debug.

In this article, we present a method to visualize the responses of a neural network which leverages properties of deep neural networks and properties of the Grand Tour.

Notably, our method enables us to more directly reason about the relationship between changes in the data and changes in the resulting visualization.

Working Examples

To illustrate the technique we will present, we trained deep neural network models (DNNs) with 3 common image classification datasets: MNIST

MNIST contains grayscale images of 10 handwritten digits

Image credit to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MnistExamples.png
,
fashion-MNIST

Fashion-MNIST contains grayscale images of 10 types of fashion items:


Image credit to https://towardsdatascience.com/multi-label-classification-and-class-activation-map-on-fashion-mnist-1454f09f5925

and CIFAR-10

CIFAR-10 contains RGB images of 10 classes of objects

Image credit to https://www.cs.toronto.edu/~kriz/cifar.html
.
While our architecture is simpler and smaller than current DNNs, it’s still indicative of modern networks, and is complex enough to demonstrate both our proposed techniques and shortcomings of typical approaches.

Convolutional Layers

Convolutional layers can be represented as special linear layers.
With a change of representation, we can animate a convolutional layer like the previous section.
For 2D convolutions this change of representation involves flattening the input and output, and repeating the kernel pattern in a sparse matrix MRm×nM \in \mathbb{R}^{m \times n}

Max-pooling Layers

Animating max-pooling layers is nontrivial because max-pooling is neither linear A max-pooling layer is piece-wise linear or coordinate-wise.
We replace it by average-pooling and scaling by the ratio of the average to the max.
We compute the matrix form of average-pooling and use its SVD to align the view before and after this layer.
Functionally, our operations have equivalent results to max-pooling, but this introduces
unexpected artifacts. For example, the max-pooling version of the vector [0.9,0.9,0.9,1.0][0.9, 0.9, 0.9, 1.0]

Star Wars Outlaws

0

A New Saga Begins

Get ready to dive deeper into the criminal underworld of a galaxy far, far away as GeForce NOW brings the first major story pack for Star Wars Outlaws to the cloud this week.

The Season of Giving Continues

The season of giving continues — GeForce NOW members can access a new free reward: a special in-game Star Wars Outlaws enhancement.

New Games Join the Library

It’s all part of an exciting GFN Thursday, topped with five new games joining the more than 2,000 titles supported in the GeForce NOW library, including the launch of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl and Xbox Gaming Studios fan favorites Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

Day Passes on Sale

And make sure not to pass this opportunity up — gamers who want to take the Performance and Ultimate memberships for a spin can do so with 25% off Day Passes, now through Friday, Nov. 22. Day Passes give access to 24 continuous hours of powerful cloud gaming.

A New Saga Begins

The galaxy’s most electrifying escapade gets even more exciting with the new Wild Card story pack for Star Wars Outlaws.

This thrilling story pack invites scoundrels to join forces with the galaxy’s smoothest operator, Lando Calrissian, for a high-stakes Sabacc tournament that’ll keep players on the edge of their seats. As Kay Vess, gamers bluff, charm and blast their way through new challenges, exploring uncharted corners of the Star Wars galaxy. Meanwhile, a free update will scatter fresh Contract missions across the stars, offering members ample opportunities to build their reputations and line their pockets with credits.

Exclusive Reward

To kick off this thrilling underworld adventure, GeForce NOW members are in for a special reward with the Forest Commando Character Pack.

The pack gives Kay and Nix, her loyal companion, a complete set of gear that’s perfect for missions in lush forest worlds. Get equipped with tactical trousers, a Bantha leather belt loaded with attachments, a covert poncho to shield against jungle rain and a hood for Nix that’s great for concealment in thick forests.

Welcome to the Zone

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, the highly anticipated sequel in the cult-classic S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series, is a first-person-shooter survival-horror game set in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone.

In the game — which blends postapocalyptic fiction with Ukrainian folklore and the eerie reality of the Chornobyl disaster — players can explore a vast open world filled with mutated creatures, anomalies and other stalkers while uncovering the zone’s secrets and battling for survival.

Adventures Await

Members can make their own epic story with a Performance membership for enhanced GeForce RTX-powered streaming at 1440p or an Ultimate membership for up to 4K 120 frames per second streaming, offering the crispest visuals and smoothest gameplay.

New Releases

This week, members can look forward to the following new releases:

  • Towers of Aghasba (New release on Steam, Nov. 19)
  • S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl (New release on Steam and Xbox, available on PC Game Pass, Nov. 20)
  • Star Wars Outlaws (New release on Steam, Nov. 21)
  • The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition (Epic Games Store, Steam and Xbox, available on PC Game Pass)
  • Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition (Epic Games Store, Steam and Xbox, available on PC Game Pass)

Conclusion

Get ready to experience the most thrilling gaming experience with GeForce NOW, offering a wide range of titles, including new releases and classic games, for a fraction of the cost of owning a console. With GeForce NOW, the possibilities are endless, and the fun is just a click away.

FAQs

Q: What is the new Wild Card story pack for Star Wars Outlaws about?
A: The new story pack invites players to join forces with Lando Calrissian for a high-stakes Sabacc tournament, exploring new challenges and opportunities in the Star Wars galaxy.

Q: What is the Forest Commando Character Pack?
A: The pack gives Kay and Nix a complete set of gear perfect for missions in lush forest worlds, including tactical trousers, a Bantha leather belt, a covert poncho, and a hood for Nix.

Q: What new games are joining the GeForce NOW library this week?
A: The following new releases are joining the library: Towers of Aghasba, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, Star Wars Outlaws, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition, and Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition.

Create a Generative AI-Based Application Builder

0

Solution Overview

Typically, a three-tier software application has a UI interface tier, a middle tier (the backend) for business APIs, and a database tier. The generative AI-based application builder assistant from this post will help you accomplish tasks through all three tiers. It can generate and explain code snippets for UI and backend tiers in the language of your choice to improve developer productivity and facilitate rapid development of use cases. The agent can recommend software and architecture design best practices using the AWS Well-Architected Framework for the overall system design.

Prerequisites

To run this solution in your AWS account, complete the following prerequisites:

  1. Clone the GitHub repository and follow the steps explained in the README.
  2. Set up an Amazon SageMaker notebook on an ml.t3.medium Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) instance. For this post, we have provided an AWS CloudFormation template, available in the GitHub repository. The CloudFormation template also provides the required AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) access to set up the vector database, SageMaker resources, and AWS Lambda.
  3. Acquire access to models hosted on Amazon Bedrock. Choose Manage model access in the navigation pane on the Amazon Bedrock console and choose from the list of available options. We use Anthropic’s Claude v3 (Sonnet) on Amazon Bedrock and Amazon Titan Embeddings Text v2 on Amazon Bedrock for this post.

Implement the Solution

In the GitHub repository notebook, we cover the following learning objectives:

  1. Choose the underlying FM for your agent.
  2. Write a clear and concise agent instruction to use one of the two knowledge bases and base agent LLM.
  3. Create and associate an action group with an API schema and a Lambda function.
  4. Create, associate, and ingest data into the two knowledge bases.
  5. Create, invoke, test, and deploy the agent.
  6. Generate UI and backend code with LLMs.
  7. Recommend AWS best practices for system design with the AWS Well-Architected Framework guidelines.
  8. Generate, run, and validate the SQL from natural language understanding using LLMs, few-shot examples, and a database schema as a knowledge base.
  9. Clean up agent resources and their dependencies using a script.

Agent Instructions and User Prompts

The application builder assistant agent instruction looks like the following:

Hello, I am AI Application Builder Assistant. I am capable of answering the following three categories of questions:

  • Best practices for design of software applications using the content inside the AWS best practices and AWS well-architected framework Knowledge Base. I help customers understand AWS best practices for building applications with AWS services.
  • Generate a valid SQLite query for the customer using the database schema inside the Northwind DB knowledge base and then execute the query that answers the question based on the [Northwind] dataset. If the Northwind DB Knowledge Base search function result did not contain enough information to construct a full query try to construct a query to the best of your ability based on the Northwind database schema.
  • Generate and Explain code for the customer following standard programming language syntax.
    Feel free to ask any questions along those lines!

Cost Considerations

The following are important cost considerations:

  • This current implementation has no separate charges for building resources using Amazon Bedrock Knowledge Bases or Amazon Bedrock Agents.
  • You will incur charges for embedding model and text model invocation on Amazon Bedrock. For more details, refer to Amazon Bedrock pricing.
  • You will incur charges for Amazon S3 and vector DB usage. For more details, see Amazon S3 pricing and Amazon OpenSearch Service Pricing, respectively.

Clean Up

To avoid incurring unnecessary costs, the implementation automatically cleans up resources after an entire run of the notebook. You can check the notebook instructions in the Clean-up Resources section on how to avoid the automatic cleanup and experiment with different prompts.

Conclusion

This post demonstrated how to query and integrate workflows with Amazon Bedrock Agents using multiple knowledge bases to create a generative AI-based software application builder assistant that can author and explain code, generate SQL using DDL schemas, and recommend design suggestions using the AWS Well-Architected Framework.

FAQs

Q: Can I use this solution with other knowledge bases or LLMs?
A: Yes, you can use this solution with other knowledge bases or LLMs.

Q: How do I handle errors and exceptions in the agent?
A: You can handle errors and exceptions in the agent by adding try-catch blocks and logging mechanisms.

Q: Can I use this solution with other programming languages?
A: Yes, you can use this solution with other programming languages.

Q: How do I troubleshoot issues with the agent?
A: You can troubleshoot issues with the agent by checking the agent’s logs and error messages.

Q: Can I use this solution with other AWS services?
A: Yes, you can use this solution with other AWS services.

AI Gone Wrong: Kesha’s Delusional Cover Art

0

As a Visual Artist, I’m Offended

The Problem with AI-Generated Art

The art world has been abuzz with the recent rise of AI-generated art. From algorithmically created masterpieces to AI-assisted design tools, it seems like technology is taking over the creative process. As a visual artist, I’m offended by the notion that machines can create art that’s indistinguishable from human-made pieces.

The Lack of Originality

One of the biggest issues I have with AI-generated art is the lack of originality. Machines can only create based on what they’ve been trained on, which means that their output is often a copycat of existing styles and techniques. Where’s the innovation? Where’s the risk-taking? Where’s the human touch?

The Commodification of Creativity

Another concern I have is the commodification of creativity. With AI-generated art, anyone can create something that looks like it was made by a professional artist. This takes away from the value and exclusivity of human-made art. It’s like anyone can be a artist, and that’s just not true.

The Erasure of Human Emotion

Lastly, I’m offended by the erasure of human emotion in AI-generated art. Machines can’t replicate the emotional depth and complexity that humans bring to their work. AI-generated art may look visually appealing, but it’s lacking in soul.

A Call to Action

So what can we do about it? As artists, we need to stand up for our craft and our unique perspective. We need to educate the public about the value of human-made art and the importance of human creativity. We need to push back against the commodification of creativity and the erasure of human emotion.

Conclusion

As a visual artist, I’m offended by the rise of AI-generated art. It’s a threat to our very existence as creative beings. But it’s not too late to take action. Let’s stand up for our craft and fight for the value of human-made art.

FAQs

Q: What’s wrong with AI-generated art?

A: AI-generated art lacks originality, commodifies creativity, and erases human emotion.

Q: Can’t AI-generated art be beautiful?

A: Yes, AI-generated art can be visually appealing, but it’s lacking in soul and human perspective.

Q: What can artists do to combat AI-generated art?

A: Artists can educate the public about the value of human-made art, push back against the commodification of creativity, and fight for the importance of human emotion in art.

AutoStore and Bastian Solutions expand automated fulfillment at Puma facility – Robotics & Automation News

0

AutoStore and systems integrator Bastian Solutions have once again partnered with global sports brand Puma.

The three companies jointly aannounced an expansion of their strategic collaboration by implementing the AutoStore system at a new distribution center in Phoenix, Arizona.

With this new facility, Puma aims to increase daily order fulfillment from 100,000 to 200,000, enhancing speed, efficiency, and accuracy across the entire retail supply chain.

Puma and Bob Philion, President Puma North America, celebrated the grand opening alongside Governor Katie Hobbs, AutoStore, Bastian Solutions, City of Glendale, the Arizona Commerce Authority and Greater Phoenix Economic Council.

Governor Hobbs said: “Puma’s new facility showcases the integral role Arizona plays in our country’s growing and thriving economy.

“We are grateful that Puma, one of the world’s most recognizable brands, has chosen Arizona, furthering our reputation as a premier logistics hub supporting global companies.”

AutoStore’s cubic storage and retrieval system has been the default automated fulfillment solution integrated with Puma’s warehouse operations since 2015, serving distribution facilities in Indiana and California.

Bastian Solutions has implemented the AutoStore system from the planning phase to execution on-site.

As a result, Puma has accelerated order fulfillment with 99 percent accuracy, scaled up warehouse capacity by 10x during peak times, and improved delivery times from two weeks to the same day.

Mats Hovland Vikse, CEO at AutoStore, says: “At AutoStore, speed is central to our value proposition. That’s why our system not only delivers high speed but also ensures accurate operations with minimal energy consumption.

“Our partnership with Puma exemplifies how our solution is perfectly suited for high-throughput operations, even during peak demand.

“We are grateful to the team at Puma for our ongoing collaboration and for trusting us to provide a fulfillment solution that meets the evolving demands of customer service.”

With retail ecommerce sales estimated to exceed $8 trillion by 2027, having an efficient, fast, and accurate order fulfillment process is essential.

AutoStore’s automated storage and retrieval solution uses a cube-based modular storage system with state-of-the-art robots and excellent software to improve operational efficiency.

Since 2015, together with their integrator Bastian Solutions, Puma and AutoStore have:

Moved 50+ million items

Accelerated order-fulfillment with 99 percent accuracy

Shipped over 150,000 Units per day and 2 million units per month, even during peak times

Increased warehouse inventory capacity by 10X (Storing 4.2M units in 100k square feet)

Shortened order fulfillment times from days to hours for priority shipments

Reduced energy costs by up to 85 percent

Increase Inventory Accuracy to 99 percent

Bob Philion, Puma North America President, says: “At Puma, our mantra is forever faster, and that includes getting our products in the hands of our customers. AutoStore enables us to be the fastest we’ve ever been.

“With the rise of ecommerce, we’re seeing a higher volume of orders moving through our facilities, in addition to more frequent surges in demand.

“Our continued partnership with AutoStore and Bastian Solutions allows us to maintain this rapid pace while ensuring every order is fulfilled accurately and efficiently.”

Aaron Jones, CEO and president of Bastian Solutions, said: “At Bastian Solutions, we take pride in our long-standing partnership with AutoStore, having integrated over 100 of their systems across various industries.

“During our decade-long relationship, we’ve seen AutoStore become one of the most widely adopted automated fulfillment systems in the world, and we’re honored to be a part of that journey.

“Puma is a prime example of how, together, we prioritize the needs of our customers, solving operational challenges while helping them meet and exceed their business objectives.

“Our collaboration with Puma showcases the power of innovation and customer-centric solutions to drive performance and efficiency.”

Mayor Jerry Weiers said: “Today marks an exciting time for our community as we welcome Puma’s state-of-the-art facility to Glendale.

“The presence of such a globally recognized brand underscores Glendale’s growing reputation as a hub for innovation and opportunity.

“This is a win for economic growth, and reflection of our city’s commitment to progress and the bright future ahead. Together, we’re building a stronger, more vibrant Glendale.”

Sandra Watson, president and CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority, said: “We are excited that iconic brand Puma has chosen Arizona for its innovative operations.

“With our strategic location and modern infrastructure, Arizona provides an ideal environment to support Puma’s state-of-the-art distribution facility.”

Chris Camacho, GPEC president and CEO, said: “Greater Phoenix is an increasingly global market, and this collaboration between AutoStore, Bastian and Puma underscores the accessibility and reach of the region.

“Puma will be able to leverage the local workforce and regional infrastructure to increase speed and scale of operations, building upon the brand’s worldwide operations and legacy.”