Apple Store architect skeptical about AI-driven shopping

While Silicon Valley companies are investing billions in AI agents to automate shopping, the expert who founded Apple's retail network is skeptical about the future of this approach. As reported by TechCrunch, 66-year-old Ron Johnson does not believe AI will fundamentally change the shopping process or that people will rely entirely on machines. This is reported by Techcrunch.com reports.

Currently, the world's leading technology giants are attempting to integrate AI more deeply into the retail sector. For instance, Google is developing the Universal Commerce Protocol to help AI agents handle processes ranging from product searches to payments. Meanwhile, OpenAI is enabling users via ChatGPT to compare and purchase products without leaving the chat.

AI and real-world experience

However, Ron Johnson believes that no one will entrust an expensive purchase, such as a laptop costing one or two thousand dollars, to an AI agent without visiting a website or a store. Such purchases require a personal approach, and customers want to feel the weight of the product, see its screen, and choose the right size before spending money.

Johnson emphasizes that AI can never provide the ability to physically experience a product. Therefore, it is expected that in the future, AI agents will not make purchases themselves, but rather arm customers with necessary information before they visit a store. As a result, customers will arrive at the store much better prepared.

Apple experience and the human factor

Ron Johnson gained this conviction twenty years ago while building the retail network alongside Steve Jobs at Apple. As described in his new book, 'Shop Different: How Retail Revealed Apple’s Genius,' Apple stores were designed not just to sell products, but to teach people how to use them and find solutions to problems.

Although many competitors copied the glass-walled design and open floor plan of Apple stores, they often overlooked the most important aspect: the human factor. According to Johnson, the secret formula for Apple's success has always been hidden in its employees and how they treat customers.