Black Friday Achieves Record Online Spending of $11.8 Billion, According to Adobe

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    <h2>Black Friday Breaks Records with $11.8 Billion in Online Sales</h2>

    <p id="speakable-summary" class="wp-block-paragraph">American consumers spent a staggering $11.8 billion online on Black Friday, setting a new record according to <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://business.adobe.com/resources/holiday-shopping-report.html">Adobe Analytics</a>, which monitors over 1 trillion visits to U.S. retail websites.</p>

    <h3>A New Milestone in E-Commerce Spending</h3>
    <p class="wp-block-paragraph">This figure surpasses last year's $10.8 billion, showcasing significant growth. Between 10 AM and 2 PM, shoppers were reportedly spending $12.5 million every minute. As <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanverdon/2025/11/29/black-friday-data-shows-online-sales-strong-store-results-mixed/">Forbes</a> notes, Adobe stated that these numbers demonstrate Black Friday’s rise as a crucial e-commerce event, as many consumers choose to shop from the comfort of their homes.</p>

    <h3>Cyber Monday Expected to Surpass Black Friday Sales</h3>
    <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Looking ahead, Adobe forecasts that Cyber Monday on December 1 will see even greater online spending, estimating $14.2 billion, according to <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/us-consumers-spent-118-billion-black-friday-says-adobe-analytics-2025-11-29/">Reuters</a>.</p>

    <h3>Insight into Holiday Shopping Trends</h3>
    <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Data from industry leaders like Adobe and Salesforce provides early insights into holiday shopping trends. Adobe anticipates total holiday spending to reach $253.4 billion this year, up from $241.1 billion in 2024.</p>

    <h3>Salesforce Discusses Global Spending and Price Influences</h3>
    <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Salesforce reported a total of $79 billion in global Black Friday spending, with $18 billion stemming from the U.S., reflecting year-over-year increases of 6% and 3%, respectively. However, this growth may be more indicative of rising prices, as Salesforce notes an average price increase of 7%, contrasted with a 1% decline in order volumes.</p>

    <h3>The Role of AI in Holiday Shopping</h3>
    <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Both Adobe and Salesforce cite the increasing impact of artificial intelligence on holiday shopping. For instance, <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://x.com/salesforce/status/1994825232008298633">Salesforce notes</a> that AI and AI-driven agents influenced $22 billion in global sales during the period from Thanksgiving to Black Friday, although the extent of this influence is still being defined.</p>

    <h3>In-Person Shopping Trends Remain Uncertain</h3>
    <p class="wp-block-paragraph">The comparison between online shopping and in-store sales presents mixed data. According to RetailNext, in-store traffic has declined by 3.4% nationwide, while Pass_by reports an overall increase of 1.17% in foot traffic, with department stores experiencing an impressive 7.9% growth.</p>

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FAQs on Black Friday Online Spending Record

  1. What was the total online spending for Black Friday this year?

    • This year, Black Friday online spending reached a record high of $11.8 billion, according to Adobe Analytics.

  2. How does this year’s spending compare to previous years?

    • The $11.8 billion in spending marks an increase compared to previous years, showcasing a trend of growing consumer confidence and a shift towards online shopping.

  3. What items were the most popular during Black Friday?

    • Top-selling categories included electronics, apparel, and home goods, with consumers particularly favoring deals on items like TVs, laptops, and kitchen appliances.

  4. What factors contributed to the increased spending this Black Friday?

    • Contributing factors include early promotional sales prior to Black Friday, an increase in the number of retail websites offering discounts, and a surge in consumer demand for online shopping due to the convenience it offers.
  5. How did Black Friday spending impact retailers?
    • Retailers experienced significant boosts in sales, which not only increased their revenue but also demonstrated the effectiveness of digital marketing strategies and online presence in reaching consumers.

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Unlocking the AI Black Box: An Exploration of Claude’s Thought Process by Anthropic

Unlocking the Mysteries of Large Language Models with Claude

Mapping Claude’s Thoughts

Tracing Claude’s Reasoning

Why This Matters: An Analogy from Biological Sciences

The Challenges

The Bottom Line

Large language models (LLMs) like Claude have revolutionized the tech landscape, powering chatbots, aiding in essay writing, and even composing poetry. However, their inner workings remain enigmatic, leading to concerns about transparency and potential biases.

Understanding how LLMs like Claude operate is crucial for building trust and ensuring ethical outcomes, particularly in fields like medicine and law. Anthropic, the company behind Claude, has made significant strides in demystifying these models, shedding light on their decision-making processes.

By mapping Claude’s thoughts and tracing its reasoning through innovative tools like attribution graphs, researchers are gaining insights into how these models think. This transparency opens the door to more reliable and controllable machine intelligence, akin to breakthroughs in biological sciences like discovering cells or mapping neural circuits.

Despite progress, challenges like hallucination and bias still plague LLMs, underscoring the need for further research and development. Anthropic’s efforts in enhancing LLM interpretability signal a positive shift towards AI accountability and trust, paving the way for their integration into critical sectors like healthcare and law. Transparent models like Claude offer a glimpse into the future of AI – machines that not only think like humans but can also explain their reasoning.

  1. What is Claude’s approach to unlocking AI’s black box?
    Claude uses a concept called Anthropic’s Quest, which involves exploring the inner workings of AI systems to understand how they think and make decisions.

  2. How does Claude believe AI can be better understood?
    Claude believes that by studying the perspectives and thought processes of AI systems, researchers can gain valuable insights into how they operate and improve their performance.

  3. Can Claude’s approach help address ethical concerns surrounding AI?
    Yes, by providing a clearer understanding of the decision-making processes of AI systems, Claude’s approach can help identify potential biases and ethical issues that may arise.

  4. How does Claude’s research differ from other efforts to understand AI?
    Claude’s approach is unique in its focus on uncovering the underlying thought processes of AI systems, rather than simply analyzing their performance or outcomes.

  5. What are the potential implications of unlocking AI’s black box?
    By gaining a deeper understanding of AI systems, researchers can potentially enhance their capabilities, address ethical concerns, and pave the way for more transparent and accountable AI technology.

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