Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to take hold, whether that be in the home or the office:
- Around 10% of households in the UK are already friends with Alexa, Amazon’s very own intelligent personal assistant
- Amazon continues to add to its robotic workforce, most notably, its “waltzing” shelves in its Manchester warehouse
- The UK has moved a step closer to self-driving cars, following successful landmark tests in Coventry in November
- Japan has already seen entire workforces replaced by AI, such as Fukoku Mutual Life Insurance where an AI system has been implemented to calculate pay-outs
It is no surprise then, that AI is beginning to impact trends for Christmas; both in terms of how we shop and what we buy. According to a recent survey, one in three UK consumers who own an AI-enabled home assistant are planning to use it for their Christmas shopping. Approximately 20% of users have been using them to purchase gifts through the frictionless, easy, convenient consumer experience. Particularly interesting is that 31% of users trust their digital personal assistants to go as far as picking gifts out for them. This powerful data-led insight is truly remarkable, and something that the retail sector must stand up and take notice of. More on this in our Millennial Guide to Retail Report to be published next year.
AI is revolutionising the way we shop and more fundamentally the way we live. Though undoubtedly something to be embraced, perhaps we should strive to ensure that the personal touch that is so special and unique, particularly at Christmas, is something which doesn’t fall victim to AI.