Artificial Intelligence

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — The Walmart board of directors is poised for an infusion of fresh, and young, talent when shareholders vote to approve a slate of directors that includes Google’s VP of local and maps.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores announced that its board of directors has nominated Marissa A. Mayer of Google Inc., for election as a new member of the company’s board at Walmart’s Annual Shareholders’ Meeting on June 1, 2012. If elected, Mayer would become the sixteenth member of the board.

Armonk, N.Y. -- IBM announced a definitive agreement to acquire Varicent Software Inc., Toronto, a leading provider of analytics software for compensation and sales performance management. Financial terms were not disclosed.

New York -- Gucci said Wednesday it has launched its own mobile point-of-sale program at select directly operated U.S., Europe and Asia locations.

Through this program, Gucci is leveraging technology to create a unique customer experience and to better serve clients when they are shopping in its stores.

In the 1950s, when science fiction writers dreamed about the coming age of computers, they assumed that like everything else in their experience, computers would get ever larger as they got more powerful. Some predicted computers would be as big as small towns, maintained by thousands of workers.

Obviously, extrapolating from what you know isn’t always the best way to predict the future. It fails to account for the unexpected invention or idea that turns everything on its head.

First, who said technology coverage has little to do with retail real estate commentary?

And second, who said the Millennials aren’t wise beyond their years?

For the record, I never said either.

SAN JOSE, Calif. — eBay has named David Marcus president of its PayPal online payment provider division, effective April 2. A member of PayPal's executive management team, Marcus, has been leading PayPal's rapidly growing mobile payments business and has driven important mobile product innovations. Reporting to eBay president and CEO John Donahoe, Marcus succeeds Scott Thompson, who left the company in January.

New York -- Retail executives are invited to attend the Microsoft Retail Roadshow, which will be held in Cambridge, Mass., on Thursday, March 29. The half-day event, which kicks off with breakfast at 8 a.m. and includes lunch, will explore ways that retailers can increase operational efficiency, lower costs and innovate to drive customer engagement.

The Retail Roadshow will be held at Microsoft Research New England, R&D Center, One Memorial Drive, First Floor, Cambridge, Mass.