Shopping Trollies Can Now Chat! AI Changes How We Shop In 2025

JAKARTA - Artificial intelligence (AI) is now really present in everyday life and changing the way humans shop. From just jargon on the technology conference stage, AI is now present in the form of smart trolleys, product search engines that understand everyday languages, to virtual assistant fashion administrators. The retail industry is one of the sectors that adopts this innovation the fastest.

In Southeast Asia, AI is no longer just a 'digital liptic' that looks cool but confusing. This technology is growing rapidly and expanding into simple activities such as daily shopping. In a demonstration in Singapore on Thursday, August 28, H&M (Gliman Capital Group) teamed up with Google Cloud introducing intelligent search engines that can understand the user's intentions despite using the language of conversation.

"Imagine, if we type 'use a motive to go to the office', the system will immediately provide recommendations for products, the location of the nearest store, even given our spending preferences for the next search," said Gill Capital Group's Group Chief Data and Analytics Officer, Victor Siow. According to him, user involvement during the trial period increased significantly and had a direct impact on sales. This feature will be officially launched in Indonesia and Thailand at the end of 2025.

Similar innovations are also seen in the futuristic supermarket 'Store of Tomorrow' owned by FairPrice Group in Punggol Digital District, Singapore. In the store, visitors can use smart trolleys equipped with interactive tablets. This trolley can scan barcodes, display ongoing promotions in the alley they pass through, to provide recommendations for recipes and materials available in the store.

AI technology works quietly behind the scenes. AI-based cameras are able to detect empty shelves and send real-time warnings to staff, so customers are not disappointed because goods run out. There is also a digital health consultant who analyzes body composition and provides appropriate shopping advice.

The CEO of FairPrice Group, Vipul Chawla, emphasized that the mission of this innovation is simple: to make customer life better every day. "AI is a means to realize a smooth, efficient, and affordable shopping experience," he said.

That view is in line with Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian, who said AI has now become a new infrastructure equivalent to electricity and the internet. Our goal is to make the application of AI beneficial to everyone in all levels of activity," Kurian said at the Asia AI conference: Building Beyond Borders.

For consumers, the presence of AI makes spending faster, cost-effective, and more environmentally friendly. The stock prediction system prevents running out of goods, supply chain automation makes prices more efficient, and digital assistants help find products that fit their needs.

For companies, AI encourages operational efficiency, accelerates business projections, and allows accurate data-based decision-making. Google Cloud data shows that their AI customers earn an average investment return (ROI) of 727 percent in three years, with productivity and average output value reaching 205 thousand US dollars per 1,000 employees.

Even so, challenges remain. Data privacy and security issues are in the spotlight, given that AI works by collecting large amounts of data, including shopping preferences and consumer consumption patterns. Google Cloud insists that data control remains in the hands of users, with personal encryption, role-based controls, and strict oversight of security command centers.

In Indonesia, Google Cloud has become a partner for seven of the top 10 banks, three telecommunication operators, a number of retail companies, and various unicorns. This shows the acceleration of AI adoption in increasingly massive homelands.

However, experts remind that AI should be a complement, not a substitute for humans. A balance between machine efficiency and human touch is the key so that this technology really brings benefits to everyday life.