As promised, IBM’s Watson artificial intelligence (AI) is coming to consumers. And to that end, Macy’s shoppers will be shopping with the AI soon.
David Kenny, general manager of IBM’s Watson business says: “IBM has the lead in cognitive computing, and they want it to become more product-ized and repeatable.”
The partnership between the two companies, dubbed “Macy’s On Call,” pledges that a pilot program will be launched to assist in-store shoppers in ten department stores around the country.
Store navigation, product information, unique offers and services, as well as frequently asked questions are the bot’s specialties, and will respond to queries in natural language. The AI also learns through frequent interactions due to its machine learning and cognitive computing capabilities and can provide answers depending on each specific store location, thanks to software by Satisfi.
To facilitate this transition, Watson will serve as your customer service representative, but half of the stores will still have store workers to assist you, and you can page them through the app on your smartphone.
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