Kate Ancketill on AI’s warp-speed future for retail

Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept; it’s here, reshaping retail at a speed few could have imagined. On the latest episode of the Future of Convenience podcast, hosts Carolyn Schnare and Anthony Wysome are joined by Kate Ancketill, retail innovation expert and CEO at GDR. Ancketill unpacks how AI is advancing at what futurist Ray Kurzweil describes as “20,000 years of progress in a single century,” and what that means for retailers today.

Ancketill has spent her career helping businesses anticipate the next wave of change, and she makes it clear: ignoring AI isn’t an option. “No human being that has ever lived has had to understand such a fast pace of change and react to it as we are now,” she explains. For retailers already navigating the challenges of omnichannel transformation, AI represents both a disruption and a solution.

One of the most striking opportunities is in customer service. Ancketill points to Walmart’s new AI assistant, “Sparky,” which helps shoppers plan meals, build carts, and navigate complex dietary needs, all through natural language conversation. This, she says, is just the beginning of how AI can enhance loyalty and simplify shopping journeys.

Yet, she is quick to balance optimism with realism. Many in retail approach AI with fatigue or fear, worried about job security, increased pressure, or the learning curve ahead. Ancketill urges leaders not to bury their heads in the sand: “We have to embrace it. We have to enhance ourselves as workers and deploy AI with human ingenuity, skill, empathy, and contact.”

The conversation also explores how AI is reshaping retail media and transparency. Apps like Yuka, which rates food and beauty products based on health and safety, are empowering consumers and forcing retailers to adapt. “It’s terrifying if you’re a big brand using legacy methods, but it’s extraordinarily empowering for the consumer,” Ancketill notes.

For retailers, the path forward requires openness both technically with structured data and APIs to interact with AI agents, and culturally with a willingness to experiment. “If you’re not super-powered by AI in terms of being a shopper or a business leader today, you’re really missing a trick,” Ancketill says.

This episode makes clear that AI is not a passing trend but a fundamental shift in retail. The challenge now is ensuring businesses adapt quickly enough to meet customers—human or AI-assisted—where they are.

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