Inside the design studio transforming Gucci, Glossier, and Nike stores into AI-powered wonderlands

Good evening.

I spent the first half of this week attending and speaking onstage at a large data conference in Orlando hosted by the business intelligence firm Qlik. The travel is why this is hitting your inbox today instead of Wednesday. (And a reminder: I speak at both large conferences and smaller private events on retail, AI, or both. If you’re hosting something relevant, let’s talk.)

A lot of what I talked about onstage is that this is a great time in business for curious people with strong domain expertise and a willingness to experiment regularly with AI tools, even if they don’t have a technical background.

Concerns about entry-level jobs are valid. And we could see more large-company layoffs, whether truly AI-driven or just framed that way. There’s a lot going on in the world right now that I’m pessimistic about.

But I am optimistic that the next few years can provide amazing opportunities for professionals and entrepreneurs who are curious and ambitious. I’m trying to lean into that, and I trust many of you are too.

Now on to the good stuff…

This week, paid subscribers are getting a two-fer.

First, I take a look at a fascinating experiential retail design firm that is infusing technology into brick-and-mortar stores for brands like Nike, Gucci, and Glossier in unique, human-centric ways. Surprise: all their clients want AI involved, but they know that’s not always for the best.

I also caught up recently with American Express’ head of global innovation, Luke Gebb. American Express announced earlier this week that it is launching a developer kit that will let AI agents that register with the credit card giant make purchases on behalf of its card members.

It is also promising to cover those customers if the agents make mistakes, betting that consumer trust will influence how quickly this kind of shopping takes off. That discussion has been edited for brevity and clarity.

But first…