shopper brain conference
Dublin, October 25-26, 2023
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The Many Faces of AI

What (Or Whom) Will Consumers Trust – and Obey?
Wednesday November 20, 4:15 pm - Main Stage

Everyone is buzzing about AI these days, as well as they should. Machines that “think” for us already are transforming how we work, play – and shop. McKinsey tells us that some 29 million U.S. homes used some form of smart technology last year, and that number grows by over 30 percent a year. In this thought-provoking presentation by thought leader Michael Solomon we will the implications of artificial intelligence and machine learning for the future of retail.

Many organizations now deploy robots, avatars and chatbots to perform tasks we used to ask flesh-and-blood people to do. This suddenly makes the age-old question of what makes us human much less theoretical. Self-driving cars threaten to replace truck drivers. IBM’s Watson beats chess masters and veteran Jeopardy game show contestants. Movies and TV shows like Blade Runner, Westworld, and Humans that focus on the civil rights of synths, replicants and androids are center stage in popular culture. Alexa and Siri are our new guardian angels.

Where does the person stop and the machine start?
Marketers need to grapple with this question, and soon. As customers increasingly interact with machines instead of people, there are huge ramifications for the way we think about sales interactions, communications strategies, product design and marketing channels.

Will consumers more readily accept a product recommendation from an AI agent if an attractive avatar delivers the message? Will customers become loyal to an intelligent agent, much as some do with their favorite salespeople now? Will shoppers prefer to see computer-generated models in advertising rather than real people?

What you can learn:

  • How does the physical appearance of a robot or avatar sales advisor affect shopper decision making
  • How will chatbots and affective computing (software detecting emotional state) impact sales interactions?

  • How will facial recognition and wearable technologies meld with AI to create “markets of one?"