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Zendesk Acquires Forethought To Strengthen AI Customer Support Tools

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

March 12, 2026

Zendesk, a company known for customer support software, has announced the acquisition of artificial intelligence startup Forethought. The deal is expected to close by the end of March and represents another step in the growing use of AI to automate customer service operations.

Strategic Innovation In Customer Service

Forethought has been developing AI tools for customer support automation for several years. The company first gained industry recognition after winning the TechCrunch Battlefield competition in 2018, well before the widespread adoption of generative AI tools.

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Since then, Forethought has expanded its customer base to include companies such as Grammarly, Airtable, Upwork and Datadog. By 2025, the platform was processing more than one billion customer interactions each month, highlighting the growing role of automation in support operations.

Pioneering Leadership And Industry Recognition

Deon Nicholas, Forethought’s co-founder and chairman, hailed the acquisition as a milestone in a recent LinkedIn post. According to Nicholas, advances in AI over the past several years have accelerated adoption across multiple industries, particularly in areas that rely heavily on customer communication and service management.

Enhancing Zendesk’s Product Portfolio

The integration of Forethought’s technology is expected to expand Zendesk’s AI capabilities across its product suite. Company executives said the acquisition could accelerate development of several planned features by more than a year. These capabilities include specialized AI agents, systems that improve automatically through usage data and more advanced voice-based customer support tools. Zendesk has previously expanded its platform through acquisitions, including companies such as Zopim and BIME Analytics, which added messaging and analytics functionality to its products.

Implications For The Future

The acquisition reflects a broader shift in the software industry toward AI-driven automation of customer service tasks. Companies are increasingly using AI systems to handle routine inquiries while human agents focus on more complex cases. Zendesk’s move highlights how enterprise software providers are investing in AI technologies to improve efficiency and scale customer support operations as demand for digital service channels continues to grow.

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EU Farm Output Prices Decline For The First Time In Nine Months

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

March 12, 2026

EU Market Adjustments Signal New Price Trends

Agricultural output prices across the European Union declined in the fourth quarter of 2025, marking a shift after several quarters of increases. Data from Eurostat shows that farm gate prices fell by 1.9% compared with the same period in 2024.

Crisis of Declining Prices In Select Markets

Cyprus recorded one of the more notable decreases in agricultural input costs among EU member states, with prices falling by 2.6% compared with Q4 2024. The reduction eased cost pressures for the local agricultural sector following periods of higher prices earlier in 2025. Across the EU, prices for goods and services consumed in agriculture remained relatively stable. Non-investment inputs such as energy, fertilisers and feedingstuffs showed limited overall changes during the quarter.

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Country-Specific Divergence In Price Movements

Eurostat data highlights considerable variation across member states. Fifteen EU countries recorded declines in agricultural output prices. Belgium registered the largest decrease at 12.9%, followed by Lithuania (8.2%) and Germany (6.0%). At the same time, twelve countries reported increases in output prices. Ireland recorded the strongest rise at 6.8%, followed by Slovenia (5.6%) and Malta (4.2%).

Stability In Agricultural Inputs Amid Commodity Shifts

Agricultural input prices also showed mixed developments. Eleven member states recorded declines, including Cyprus (2.6%), Belgium (2.1%) and Sweden (2.0%). Other countries experienced moderate increases, including Lithuania (4.2%), Ireland (3.3%) and Romania (2.5%). Among major agricultural commodities, milk prices declined by 4.1% while cereal prices fell by 8.9% across the EU. In contrast, fertilisers and soil improvers increased by 7.9%, reflecting continued volatility in input markets.

Outlook For EU Agriculture

The latest Eurostat data points to uneven price developments across the EU agricultural sector. While input prices remained broadly stable in many markets, movements in output prices varied significantly between member states. These trends highlight the need for farmers and policymakers to adapt to shifting commodity prices and changing cost structures across the European agricultural market.