Shinsegae Group is teaming up with OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, to expand artificial intelligence (AI) commerce.

Shinsegae Group said on the 6th at The Westin Josun Seoul that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with OpenAI for "AI commerce business cooperation." This is the first time a domestic retailer has formed a strategic alliance with OpenAI related to AI commerce.

A signing ceremony photo for the AI commerce business partnership event between Shinsegae Group and OpenAI takes place at The Westin Josun Seoul on the 6th. Attending the ceremony are, from right, Lim Young-rok, head of corporate strategy at Shinsegae Group (president), and Kim Kyung-hoon, head of OpenAI Korea. /Courtesy of Shinsegae Group

Shinsegae Group plans to gradually expand AI commerce across the group, starting with E-MART. The goal is to lead the future AI commerce market by delivering ultra-personalized customer experiences using AI.

The two companies will collaborate to build next-generation AI commerce, aiming for commercialization in 2027. The focus is on building a ChatGPT-based "end-to-end AI commerce" model that goes beyond simple product recommendations to cover the entire shopping process from search to payment and delivery.

For example, if a user types into the ChatGPT chat window, "Prepare a family dinner menu for tomorrow evening," the AI will generate the necessary shopping list, add items to the cart, and handle payment and scheduled delivery.

Within the year, an "AI shopping agent" will also be introduced to the E-MART application (app). It will learn customers' purchasing patterns and preferences to propose tailored shopping lists and support purchases, as well as provide convenience features such as automatic parking registration when visiting a store. In effect, it implements an "AI-based personal shopper."

Shinsegae Group plans to establish an AX (AI Transformation) cooperation framework to pursue AI integration in various ways. It will introduce AI across companywide operations to raise productivity, discover new business opportunities, and strengthen AI training and programs for employees.

Im Young-rok, president and head of the corporate strategy office at Shinsegae Group, said, "AI commerce will break down the boundaries between online and offline retail and become the new standard in the retail market," adding, "We will lead ultra-personalized AI commerce and embed an AI-first approach into the group's very fabric."

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