US payment processor Shift4 Payments is partnering with Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI to improve customer service and shopping experience according to a Payments Dive report.

The Allentown, Pennsylvania-based company will use xAI's services to better leverage customer data to answer customer questions and reduce cart abandonment.

CEO Taylor Lauber told analysts on a February 26 webcast of the company's fourth quarter earnings call that the partnership forms part of growing roster of payment companies leaning on AI to improve customer service.

Lauber stated, "We're building predictive models that analyze personal signals to prevent churn before it happens, while leveraging the vast trove of data we collect from customer interactions to identify and resolve customer pain points more rapidly."

AI capabilities will extend into most parts of the payment processor with the ultimate goal of helping workers function faster and more efficiently. The company has deployed AI assistants within key products to help resolve inquiries more quickly and with less human intervention, with tools recently expanded to providing operational insights to merchants.

Shift4 is also expanding internationally, looking to the Middle East and Asia for more customers with plans to add thousands of new clients in those regions through acquisitions of foreign companies including Swiss firm Global Blue. The company will focus initially on Japan and Saudi Arabia, targeting 15 countries for launch in 2026.

Lauber noted that Global Blue's tax-free shopping capability, when combined with eligibility detection at point of payment, adds meaningful utility to retailers of all sizes. Merging with companies in international markets proves more efficient than moving into markets independently, as acquired companies already possess expertise and footholds in coveted regions.

Discover how payment processors are leveraging AI partnerships to enhance customer experience in the full story.