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Tech

Hobbyist working in workshop
Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock

AI’s not taking all the jobs. Just ask your local hobby shop, garage band and crafts store

By Alicia Wallace, CNN Business • Published September 1, 2026

Bloomington, Minnesota — A former auto parts store in Minnesota. A two-car garage in Los Angeles. And two color-bathed shops — one in Seattle, another in Concord, New Hampshire.

They are home bases for creative enterprises—a community-focused game store, a rock band, a hand-dyed yarn business and an upstart fabric outfit.

And they are brimming with creative energy (and sales) as more consumers pivot from luxury items and routine consumer goods. The trend is helped as young people embrace “grandma hobbies” and flock to in-person arenas at a time when artificial intelligence encroaches on many aspects of life.

During this period, hobby, toy and game retailers added 35,000 jobs, a 29% increase; musical groups and artists added 9,000, a 25% increase; and sewing, needlework and fabric goods retailers added 7,000, a 24% increase, according to BLS data.

More hobby and toy shops

Total number of jobs at hobby, toy and game retailers
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics • Graphic: Alicia Wallace, CNN
June 2026: 155,000

At Tower Games in Minneapolis, owner Bob Seabold reflects on steady growth.

“We really started to grow in 2019 and then Covid hit.”

— Bob Seabold, Owner of Tower Games
Focusing on fun and joy
Debit and credit card data shows consumers increased spending in July.
CategoryChange
Hobby, toy & game stores+27.1%
Fabric stores+13.9%
Music stores+7.0%
Sewing/needlecraft/yarn+5.2%
Overall card spending+5.0%

More musicians and bands

Musical groups and artists notched 11 consecutive months of employment gains prior to job growth dipping in May and June.

More sewing and fabric stores

Jonathan Berner, who owns Yarn Dragon, sees the expansion of his business as a reflection of human behavior.

“There is a niche in today's economy for in-person business, because that is something a computer cannot provide.”

— Jonathan Berner, Owner of Yarn Dragon
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WhaleBot AI and the Evolution of Intelligent Financial Technology

How Founder and CEO Raymond Sterling is positioning WhaleBot AI within a new generation of AI-driven financial technology
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Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the way industries understand data, automate processes, and make decisions. Across the financial technology sector, this evolution is particularly significant as markets become faster, increasingly interconnected, and driven by enormous volumes of real-time information.

Within this changing landscape, WhaleBot AI is developing technology centered on artificial intelligence, automation, and data-driven market analysis.

At the center of that journey is Raymond Sterling, Founder and CEO of WhaleBot AI, whose vision for the company is based on a fundamental idea: as financial markets become increasingly complex, technology should help people process information more intelligently and systematically.

The Vision Behind WhaleBot AI

Financial markets generate extraordinary amounts of information every day.

Price movements, liquidity conditions, trading activity, market behavior, and numerous other data points can change within seconds. For individuals attempting to follow these developments manually, separating meaningful information from market noise can become increasingly difficult.

WhaleBot AI was developed around the concept of using artificial intelligence and automation to assist in that process.

The company’s technology focuses on continuously analyzing market information, recognizing patterns, monitoring relevant activity, and applying systematic approaches to financial-market analysis.

Rather than viewing AI simply as a replacement for human decision-making, WhaleBot AI’s broader philosophy is centered on using technology as an additional layer of intelligence—one capable of processing information continuously while allowing people to remain focused on understanding strategy, risk, and the decisions that matter.

Raymond Sterling: The Vision Behind the Technology

As Founder and CEO, Raymond Sterling represents the leadership and long-term vision behind WhaleBot AI.

Sterling’s approach to the company extends beyond building an automated technology platform. His broader objective is to explore how increasingly sophisticated AI systems can make complex financial information easier to analyze and understand.

For Sterling, the emergence of artificial intelligence represents a fundamental technological transition.

Just as previous generations witnessed computing and the internet reshape financial markets, AI is introducing another significant change—one in which machines can analyze enormous quantities of information, identify relationships within data, and perform repetitive analytical processes at speeds that would be difficult to achieve manually.

This philosophy continues to influence the direction of WhaleBot AI as the company develops its technology and community.

Beyond Technology: Building a Community

WhaleBot AI’s story, however, is not solely about algorithms and automation.

Behind the technology is a growing community of individuals interested in understanding how artificial intelligence can be applied to modern financial markets.

This community dimension is important because technological advancement alone does not necessarily create meaningful progress. As financial systems become increasingly automated, education and responsible use become equally important.

The objective is therefore not simply to provide access to technology, but to encourage a deeper understanding of how AI-driven systems operate, what they can accomplish, and where their limitations and risks remain.