
Forget ChatGPT: Why Agentic AI Is The Next Big Retail Disruption
In recent times, the concept of agentic AI has taken center stage, and its potential to revolutionize industries is undeniable. One such industry that stands to benefit significantly from this technology is retail, particularly e-commerce. As a matter of fact, Amazon and Salesforce have already begun deploying these technologies.
Agentic AI refers to systems built around language processing capabilities similar to those found in services like ChatGPT but capable of performing far more complex tasks with minimal human intervention. For instance, they can interact with websites, fill out forms, collect and submit information, and even make payments. It is this potential for automation that makes agentic AI an incredibly powerful tool in the e-commerce space.
One major reason why e-commerce as a business sector is ripe for agentic adoption is its infrastructure’s alignment with digital platforms and data. This facilitates seamless connection with, communication with, and operation of systems. In other words, it becomes much easier for these intelligent agents to assist in inventory management, shipping and delivery, customer service, and even dynamic pricing strategies.
In practice, agentic AI has already started making waves in the e-commerce world. Shopping bots are emerging that can effortlessly hop between online retailers and scour the market for the best deals, promotions, and prices on behalf of their users. Salesforce has launched its Agentforce platform, which empowers businesses to build AI agents capable of interacting with their systems.
Furthermore, these AI-powered shopping assistants have the potential to drastically enhance customer experiences by troubleshooting issues more flexibly than standard genAI chatbots. They can even take control of users’ systems to diagnose and fix problems automatically. Amazon’s Q platform provides a means for companies to kickstart the development of this agentic capability.