Generative AI has dominated the retail tech hype cycle in the past year. But does it have staying power as a strategy to drive sales in a slowdown?

Aggressive investment in AI has trickled all the way up to the executive branch. President Trump signed an executive order in late January removing barriers to American AI innovation, allowing companies to develop and deploy AI without regulatory restrictions. A hands-off approach has set up the playing field for an intense race among retailers to integrate AI rapidly and maintain a competitive edge.