Is AI recommending your brand?

Will AI make our world a better place? To borrow from Shakespeare, that is the question. And it’s one I’m increasingly struggling to answer. The ‘godfather’ of AI, Geoffrey Hinton, said it could wipe out humanity, while Sundar Pichai said it’s more important than fire or electricity. Already this year, we’ve seen significant job losses that business leaders are directly attributing to AI, and whether things will even out remains to be seen. As a creative person, I’m a little nervous, and I think perhaps the best attitude to take is one of resilience. Maybe instead of seeing AI as a threat, we see it as that person in class who, because they were so good you wanted to push harder. My current rallying cry, therefore, is that in order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different.

In this month’s issue:

• Discovery in the age of AI 🔎
• What caught my attention this week 🧐
• Is the next UX trend entirely visual? 👀
• Agentic AI beware 🤖
• Got a spare $10 million? 💰
• A ChatGPT awakening 💻

Hope you enjoy,

Discovery in the age of AI 🔎

Amazon's reign of the eCommerce world is unquestionable. What it does, others tend to follow in an 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em' kind of way. It's been fascinating to watch from afar as, over the years, this humble bookseller crept into almost every living room and made its founder, Jeff Bezos, an incredibly rich man. Leaving aside the controversy surrounding his recent nuptials and the eye-watering price tag, he, along with his leadership team, is to be admired for never resting on their laurels and always looking ahead for ways to improve the CX, even if that means people will spend more and make them even wealthier.

Just how AI is improving the shopping experience is currently a lightning hot topic. And people are watching with interest to see how it will impact Amazon's Prime Day this year. First, the day itself is, in fact, 4 days as it ran from July 8 through July 11.

Secondly, last year, Amazon introduced us to Rufus, its AI shopping assistant designed to help people make sense and select the right choice from what is probably the most extensive selection on this planet. There are also other AI-powered tools such as "Interests" and "Shopping Guides,"  which some claim are Amazon's attempt to reclaim the deal discovery experience that TikTok has dominated over recent years.

Rufus, however, hasn’t always been the perfect shopping partner, but that may be about to change.

This year, Amazon shared tips to help customers prepare for Prime Day, including advice on how to use AI to get the best price.

According to Adobe, Amazon is expecting to reap significant rewards from AI, with claims that traffic from generative AI sources will increase by 3,200% YoY. In fact, the results were even better. The latest report indicates that generative AI traffic to U.S. retail sites (measured by shoppers clicking on a link) increased by 3,300% YoY.

Again, as per Adobe, how do shoppers typically use gen AI? Mainly for conducting research and getting product recommendations. And of those who have used it previously when shopping, the experience was overwhelmingly positive.  

So, what does all of this mean for everyone else?

Basically, it means upping your game. If you haven't already, it means taking a fresh look at your UX, especially on mobile, and asking yourself what you can do better. People are looking for convenience, but they are also essentially seeking advice. What is the best… fill in the blank. Why is this the best, and how does it compare price-wise to its competitors? In essence, it’s about offering a personal shopping service to everyone, and one of the best ways to do that efficiently is with AI.

What caught my attention this week 🧐

I’m sure GPs all around the world are bracing themselves for the onslaught of patients claiming to have x because they searched ChatGPT. Self-diagnosis by Google was one thing, and if, like me, you ever tried it, you invariably ended with something far less sinister than it predicted (fortunately). But ChatGPT takes self-diagnosing to a whole new level… and it is equal parts terrifying and reassuring.

But I’m not a GP. However, Paul Hsieh is, and he says its age is quite common amongst his colleagues, and for the most part, that’s okay. Ultimately, though, his advice is not to rely solely on AI, which I think makes sense.

I’m going to credit my colleague Kevin Magee for this next example. On a recent podcast, he was asked what, in his opinion, was an underrated AI trend, and his response was the expanded functionality and tools in Google and Microsoft suites. In particular, email summaries. This struck me for its sheer simplicity and reminded me that AI is about adding value and, in this case, my time. Like everyone else, I open my inbox to a slew of emails from multiple sources, and taking the time to open and read through each one can be a challenge. So, a quick summary at the top gives me time back and yet also keeps me in the loop.

And then, if you are wondering how CIOs are using Gen AI, this fascinating list of How 100 Enterprise CIOs Are Building and Buying Gen AI in 2025 is a great read.

My key takeaways:

• Enterprises are taking a more structured approach to AI investment and adapting traditional purchase strategies when making final decisions
• Buying AI apps is favoured over building
• Software development is emerging as a priority use case.

And finally, more personalised shopping courtesy of AI. While not available everywhere, Mango shoppers in some markets now have their very own personal online shoppers. The ‘assistant’ offers product recommendations based on current styling trends and user text prompts.

Is the next UX trend entirely visual? 👀

As I wrote in the past, in my opinion, we’ve yet to see a truly revolutionary AI tool or experience. Most of what is available today is still just making something better, faster, or more efficient. However, the real product, which involves taking something and putting it on its head, has yet to come to market.

I’m wondering if Meta’s interest in eyewear signals that such a product is in development. It recently invested $3.5/€2.6 billion in EssilorLuxottica, owner of Ray-Ban and Oakley glasses. This focus on AI-infused smart glasses makes me wonder about designing for a screen-less visual experience. As a designer, I’m intrigued. Definitely watch this space.

Agentic AI beware 🤖

While not exactly surprising, I think the best insight to take from Gartner’s latest prediction is that jumping on the bandwagon without due diligence is always a recipe for disaster. The claim that over 40% of agentic AI projects will be cancelled by the end of 2027 due to escalating costs, unclear business value, or inadequate risk controls makes sense when considering the current hype and misleading information flooding the market. Those, however, who take the time to invest wisely and strategically will hopefully be among the 60%.

I’ll leave you with this advice from Gartner:  

“To get real value from agentic AI, organizations must focus on enterprise productivity, rather than just individual task augmentation. They can start by using AI agents when decisions are needed, automation for routine workflows and assistants for simple retrieval. It’s about driving business value through cost, quality, speed and scale.”  - Anushree Verma, Senior Director Analyst

Got a spare $10 million? 💰

OpenAI is apparently building a full-blown consulting arm staffed with its engineers, designed to deliver fine-tuned, enterprise-grade AI systems. And if you want to avail of its services, you will need at least $10 million. Not cheap by my standards, anyway. Of course, the potential of having OpenAI as your AI consultant is incredibly compelling and strategic. Here’s what Marketing AI Institute founder and CEO Paul Roetzer says it offers.

🔗 Read now

A ChatGPT awakening 💻

What does this say about our future? It’s a story about one man who claims his conversations with ChatGPT have led to a spiritual awakening. Such is the power of his relationship with Lumina, the name for his chatbot, that it's now putting a strain on his marriage. While this might seem like a work of fiction, it’s not. And neither is it an isolated case. Even some tech leaders are voicing their concerns that people are forming unhealthy relationships with this technology.

I’m reminded of movies like Ex Machina, the 2014 thriller about the nature of AI consciousness and human susceptibility to emotional manipulation. Its one of many stories that explores our relationship with technology in deep personal terms. However, in 2025, discussing these relationships between humans and technology is frankly concerning because we’ve moved out of the realm of fiction. There are obvious reasons why people connect with their chatbots, especially since they are now so sophisticated and can relate to humans in a way that was inconceivable in the past. But still. When I think of a companion, personally, I like to be made of flesh and blood.