John Lewis Partnership chairman Dame Sharon White has warned that artificial intelligence (AI) will not be taking over the “people-centric” business and that humans should not be “written off just yet”. In a speech to members of the Employee Ownership Association yesterday, White revealed that AI will help the company in ensuring its stock flows across the business in “the most efficient way” and help customers by providing recommendations about products based on their preferences.

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White told The Mail on Sunday that “human connection is why the Partnership is built on trust and a closeness to our customers who feel they have a stake in the business”. She added that “new technologies must be embraced for businesses to modernise and meet customers’ needs”, but that “we will always choose the power of human connections, creativity and senses”.

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John Lewis is ranked as a Top100 retailer in the RXUK Top500 research. White has promised the retailer will return to profit by 2026, but also revealed that staff bonuses would only return “when affordable”. Recently, White’s performance as chair was also questioned when representatives on the employee-owned partnership council voted in favour of her.
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Sources: https://internetretailing.net/john-lewis-ai/