LG Electronics will allow customers to delete Microsoft's Copilot from their TVs in response to customers' AI and privacy concerns. Customers reported the voice-activated AI assistant, which is offered as a shortcut icon to improve customer accessibility and convenience, appearing on screens without an option to remove it. LG plans to address these issues with a software update, ensuring Copilot only activates the TV microphone with explicit user consent.

Target is prioritizing rapid trend prediction by combining real-world scouting trips with advanced data analysis. Teams visit trendsetting locations, such as European ski destinations and college campuses, to observe emerging styles firsthand. These observations, along with social and sales data, are fed into the company's new generative AI tool, Trend Brain, which distills actionable insights within hours. This multi-pronged approach enables Target to anticipate and respond to trends significantly faster, contributing to an 80% improvement in product turnaround for its owned brands.

Retailers are probing different ways to use generative AI to enrich in-store experiences, including providing real-time product information, suggesting in-store offers, optimizing inventory management and improving loss prevention. Retailers that follow a decisive, measured strategy for generative AI experimentation and implementation are expected to have operations that move smarter and faster. However, challenges such as integrating AI with legacy systems and ensuring cost-effectiveness remain.

Ecommerce player Rakuten Group is focusing on cost-efficient AI development to enhance its business operations, user engagement, seller return on investment and customer interactions. With a team of 1,000 and "thousands" of Nvidia chips, Rakuten's AI strategy stresses reducing operational costs while boosting commercial transactions. The platform faces competition in online shopping, but new AI tools could give it a substantial boost.

HTC is leveraging an open platform strategy with its VIVE Eagle smartglasses, allowing users to choose from multiple AI models like OpenAI and Google's Gemini, contrasting with competitors such as Meta, which uses a closed ecosystem. The company launched the AI-powered eyewear in Hong Kong and plans to expand its sales in Asia first, targeting Southeast Asia and Japan early next year, before moving to the US and Europe later in the year. HTC has addressed privacy concerns by accentuating data security, distinguishing HTC from its rivals that use user data for AI training.

The AI boom's effect on memory chip supply is creating challenges for the videogame console industry, impacting major players like Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. The surge in demand for memory chips crucial for gaming systems has led to supply shortages as manufacturers prioritize data-center chips. This situation may force console makers to raise prices, potentially dampening consumer demand after previous tariff-driven hikes.

Shopify has partnered with Contentsquare to provide retailers on its platform with comprehensive AI-driven insights into the digital consumer journey. This collaboration offers features such as session replay, heatmaps and zoning capabilities, enabling retailers to analyze consumer behavior from first click to checkout. The partnership aims to enhance the shopping experience by identifying areas of friction and opportunities for improvement.

In 2025, the retail industry saw a surge in AI-related initiatives, with mass retailers, apparel brands and other major companies, including Walmart, Target and Amazon, implementing AI tools to enhance operations and customer experiences. Notable developments include Walmart's AI assistant Wally for merchants, Target's AI-powered gift finder and Amazon's AI tools for inventory management and marketing. However, the return on investment is slower for retail compared to other industries like finance and telecommunications, probably because of its more complex physical operations, according to a University of Pennsylvania study.