Slate News What Next: TBD | Tech, power, and the future - The Future of Retail is A.I.
Feb 22, 2026
Mia Sato, a technology reporter at The Verge who tracks how AI enters retail and consumer tech. She walks through where AI appears in stores, from chatbots to computer vision. The conversation contrasts executive enthusiasm with frontline realities. They discuss search, agentic AI mistakes, surveillance in stores, and why businesses rush to adopt AI.
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Hologram Mike Used As Store Engagement Gimmick
- Mia Sato describes "Mike," a hot-pink-suited hologram powered by ChatGPT used at NRF to lure customers into stores.
- The demo featured a clear tube, microphone for passersby, and a large "talk to me" sign as an engagement gimmick.
Retail Conference Essentially Became An AI Expo
- The National Retail Federation event felt like an AI conference because vendors pitched AI for HR, customer experience, advertising, loss prevention, and store optimization.
- Exhibitors positioned AI as a catch-all solution from inventory and temperature control to chatbots for shoppers.
Papa John's Showed An AI Pizza Ordering Chatbot
- Mia Sato recounts Papa John's demoing an AI chatbot for reordering pizza and calculating how many pies to buy for a group.
- The example highlighted trivial but marketable use cases pitched to retailers at the show.