ODP Corp. develops AI assistant for Office Depot, Office Max associates
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Dive Brief:
As other retailers release new AI tools, the ODP Corporation has integrated generative artificial intelligence across its Office Depot and OfficeMax stores, the company announced Wednesday.
The company created the ODP Personal Assistant, an internal AI tool that uses its own data and leverages the same tech as ChatGPT.
Following a successful launch of the ODP Personal Assistant in Feb. 2023, the company added more of its “comprehensive knowledge bases” into the tool to help associates obtain answers to common questions and released it across the company’s store computers and handheld devices.
Dive Insight:
The ODP Corporation’s Personal Assistant tech will help shape its future AI applications.
“We are thrilled about the potential of Gen AI to revolutionize our customers’ experience,” Gerry Smith, chief executive officer of The ODP Corporation, said in a statement. “This approach highlights our dedication to technological advancement and enhances our ability to streamline activities and tasks within our stores. We’re committed to further exploring transformative AI applications across our entire organization.”
The ODP Personal Assistant allows associates to use natural English-language queries for answers versus consulting other associates or searching company portals. It also gives workers the ability to better assist customers by giving quick access to data.
Office Max and Office Depot have joined a growing line of retailers that are deploying AI tools into their operations. Earlier this year, Tractor Supply CEO Hal Lawton noted that the company had integrated AI into its human resources, supply chain, sales and marketing operations. In an annual letter to shareholders this spring, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said that the company will use AI to create shopping assistants, enhance its Alexa products, and improve its advertising and seller-centric applications.
Similar to the ODP Corporation, other major retailers have been integrating AI into their staffers’ workflow. Walmart, for example, has introduced its My Assistant tool to help new hires during their orientation period and to see their employee benefits. It also harnessed AI to enhance its product catalog, an effort it made to improve the experience of customers and store workers. Target also said it planned to put generative AI technology in the hands of store employees at nearly 2,000 stores this summer.