About 42% of North American distributors have not created a plan on how they will respond to tariffs, while almost 80% intend to raise prices to maintain margins, and more than one-third are looking for suppliers outside China, according to a Proton.ai survey. "Right now, too many distributors are flying blind and reacting instead of planning," says Proton.ai CEO Benj Cohen.

Businesses said they likely will pass about 50% of tariff-related costs on to consumers, marking a shift from 2018, when nearly all of such costs were passed on, according to a survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. "Our results suggest many firms believe their customers are price-sensitive enough this time around ... that they cannot pass through the entire cost increase without reducing demand," Atlanta Fed researchers noted in a blog post.

US employers added 139,000 jobs to nonfarm payrolls in May, exceeding the Dow Jones estimate of 125,000, despite economic headwinds from tariffs and slowing growth. The unemployment rate was unchanged, at 4.2%. Meanwhile, April's total of added jobs was revised down to 147,000.

Amazon has set up a San Francisco facility where it is testing humanoid robots designed to handle delivery from Amazon vans, a source told tech news outlet the Information. The company is reportedly using its own AI software while integrating hardware from other manufacturers, and initial trials have already been conducted using robots from Agility Robotics in Amazon warehouses.

Global container shipping rates are undergoing a significant surge, with Drewry's World Container Index jumping 41% week-over-week to $3,527 per 40-foot container, an increase of 70% in the last four weeks. Industry experts attribute the rise to a temporary US-China tariff pause, but some predict that demand will ease and rates may be peaking.

Silos hinder marketing speed and cohesion, writes Boathouse's John Connors, and companies should tap into AI to break them down. Connors explains that AI can combine data from performance marketing, brand marketing and customer awareness management as well as developing audience segments for business goals rather than channels.

Wall Street's concerns about the trade war have shifted from economic downturn to rising inflation, as upcoming consumer and producer price readings could cause market volatility. Some companies are already feeling the impact of tariffs, potentially leading to job cuts and increased prices. According to a Bloomberg survey, US core consumer prices likely rose 0.3% in May, the most in four months, as companies passed on higher import duties to consumers.

A Kyndryl survey reveals that while 95% of companies have invested in artificial intelligence, only 14% have aligned workforce strategies with AI goals. Nearly 70% of business and technology leaders say employees are unprepared to leverage AI, and 45% of CEOs say employees are resistant or hostile to AI.

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