Artificial Intelligence

Not too long ago, I interviewed Christy Parra, who is the logistics director for The Container Store. The interview was for an article on the company’s deployment of a voice-directed picking system in its distribution center. But what struck me throughout our discussion was the context in which Parra framed the new technology: It had as much to do with the employees as it did efficiencies and cost savings.

New York -- The campus store at Carnegie Mellon University has a new attraction: a small robot called AndyVision. Developed by researchers at Carnegie Mellon’s Intel Science and Technology Center in Embedded Computing, the robot is designed to help keep track of store inventories and assist customers in finding products, according to a report on PCWorld.

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — Jenn-Air, maker of luxury appliances, has launched a new blog to help consumers with their culinary, design and lifestyle needs.

Downers Grove, Ill. -- Survey results released Wednesday by CompTIA, the non-profit association for the IT industry, found that innovations in information technology continue to transform the retail sector, with digital signage, payment processing, customer engagement and other solutions playing increasingly important functions.

Seventy-two percent of retailers surveyed rate technology as important to their business, CompTIA's Retail Sector Technology Adoption Trends Study revealed. That figure projects to increase to 83% by 2014.

By Nancy Chisholm, [email protected]

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said in a Friday emailed statement that the co-heads of its technology unit @WalmartLabs are leaving the company.

Venky Harinarayan and Anand Rajaraman, who ran the 200- person unit in San Bruno, Calif., are taking some time off from the industry, according to the statement. The pair took the helm of @WalmartLabs when Wal-Mart bought their company Kosmix last year.

Wal-Mart said the rest of the technology team will remain intact.
 

CINCINNATI — Marketing solutions provide Dunnhumby has hired Nishat Mehta, formerly of MicroStrategy, to lead the company’s growing global partner business. As EVP global partners, Mehta will be responsible for driving the global expansion and commercialization of Dunnhumby solutions, such as digital advertising, targeting and measurement, through strategic partnerships with data companies that deliver a comprehensive understanding of consumer behavior across channels. He will be based in New York City.

Washington, D.C. — Former Microsoft executive, Tom Litchford, has been named The National Retail Federation's new VP retail technologies.

Effective July 2, Litchford will lead and manage NRF's Association for Retail Technology Standards and the exclusive, invite-only CIO Council. He will be responsible for developing and enhancing strategic programs, activities and relationships with retail and technology communities both domestically and internationally.