Skip to content
‹ Back to IndustriesRetail

AI 101: How Artificial Intelligence Is Driving Innovation

Everyone knows the term artificial intelligence, or AI,, and some may understand the impact it has on their lives to varying degrees. But what exactly is AI, and what role is it playing today and into the future? At TE Connectivity, Chris Blackburn, Technologist on the System Architecture Team, helped break down artificial intelligence…

This story was produced through MarketScale. See how Retail teams put it to work with Sales Enablement.

Promoted content from TE Connectivity on MarketScale.

·
Share

Free workspace

Turn your Retail expertise into content.

Record interviews, organize footage, and write with AI on a free trial of the MarketScale platform for qualifying companies. No demo required, no credit card.

Try it Free

Everyone knows the term artificial intelligence, or AI,, and some may understand the impact it has on their lives to varying degrees. But what exactly is AI, and what role is it playing today and into the future?

At TE Connectivity, Chris Blackburn, Technologist on the System Architecture Team, helped break down artificial intelligence for host Tyler Kern.

“AI is everywhere around us in the world,” Blackburn said. “Most of us are familiar with devices in our homes, such as voice assistance like Alexa and Siri. Artificial intelligence is a way for machines to learn and generate data by themselves.”

Up to now, the majority of use cases for AI could be found in the marketing realm to find ways for the right products to reach the right consumers based on consumer behavior on social media and in eCommerce shopping.

“Recommendation engines are one of those primary use cases,” Blackburn said.

Blackburn said AI is beginning to show up in oil and gas exploration, mining and natural resource extraction, farming, and food production.

One of the benefits of AI is its ability to learn from new data, make inferences based on previous data and continue to get smarter. But with advancements come new challenges to solve.

How can we store and transfer massive amounts of data and make it accessible to these machines for learning?

“In the past, 10 to 20 years ago, a lot of the data created in the world was human-generated,” Blackburn said. “And, now, we’re moving into this era of machine-generated data. It’s an absolute data explosion, and it is certainly influencing how we’re building system architecture to handle it.”

Be sure to subscribe to our industry publication for the latest news, videos, and podcasts in the Software & Technology Industry.

Twitter – @MarketScale

Facebook – facebook.com/marketscale

LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/marketscale

TE Connectivity

Part of this channel

TE Connectivity

Engineering conversations on connectivity, sensors, and what comes next.

Visit the channel

Your experts belong here

Every story in MarketScale Retail starts with a company putting its merchandising leads, store operations teams, and category managers on the record. Buyers are already reading this topic. The only question is whose experts they find.

Category buyers trust operators, so your merchandising leads shorten the distance between first search and first call.

Book DemoSee how it works15 minutes, straight to a calendar.
B2B Weekly

The week in Retail, and sixteen other industries, every Monday.

Ten stories, one-line takes, five minutes. Free.

Retail: are you visible to AI?

Before they reach out, Retail buyers ask AI engines which vendors to trust. Explore how your experts, customers, and partners can become useful content for buyers and AI search.

Free Trial

You just read one Retail expert. Your company is full of them.

This article was produced through MarketScale. The same platform turns your merchandising leads, store operations teams, and category managers into the articles, video, and social content Retail buyers are searching for. Start a free trial and see it with your own people. For qualifying companies, no credit card, no demo required.

NPS +73 · 1,000+ creators · 38+ countries

What your free trial includes

Hands-on access to the MarketScale platform
Media requests to your crowd, remote recording, AI writing tools
No demo required. No credit card.
For qualifying companies. Company confirmation required.

More Retail Insights

Retail security tech that only counts catches quietly erodes shopper trust

Retail security tech that only counts catches quietly erodes shopper trust

AI-enabled security systems can rack up detections yet still erode shopper trust and harm the brand. Mike Mitchell of Telaid says retailers should align deployments to customer expectations, back privacy answers with real controls, involve more departments in planning, test against real shopping behavior, and require human review before any action affecting customers or employees.

  • 01Retail security technology should balance theft detection with maintaining customer trust.
  • 02Overemphasis on detection capabilities can negatively impact the shopper experience.
  • 03Considering customer perception is essential for effective retail security systems.

Oct 20, 2026

ShipStation now offers Walmart shipping rates with up to $100 lost-package protection

ShipStation now offers Walmart shipping rates with up to $100 lost-package protection

ShipStation has announced Ship with Walmart. It gives Walmart Marketplace sellers direct access to Walmart-negotiated shipping rates inside the ShipStation platform, plus up to $100 in protection on lost-item claims. Only eligible orders shipped on time are covered by that protection. How much a seller saves depends on its own lanes, so the real work before peak season is comparing rates side by side.

  • 01This matters most to seller-fulfilled Walmart brands shipping U.S. domestic parcels from ShipStation; cross-border volume stays on existing carriers because the launch is domestic only.

Oct 11, 2026

Retail tech installs go right the first time when technicians know the why

Retail tech installs go right the first time when technicians know the why

Telaid argues that retail technology installations succeed on the first attempt when technicians understand the purpose and end use of the systems they're deploying, not just the mechanical steps. The company standardizes this understanding through certification programs, pairing new technicians with experienced ones, quality audits with feedback loops, and lifecycle service that extends beyond the initial install.

  • 01Technicians who understand camera aim and sensor height are more likely to catch install errors on site, reducing repeat visits and added disruption.
  • 02Telaid standardizes knowledge transfer across locations by certifying technicians on specific technology and customer requirements, pairing newcomers with experienced installers for their first two or three sites, and maintaining ongoing quality audits with documented lessons learned.
  • 03First-time install success is supported by pre-site coordination like materials, permits, and pre-configuration, plus having the right team so trades don’t block each other.

Oct 8, 2026

Explore More Retail Insights

Read more expert perspectives from across Retail.

Browse Retail Hub

For B2B teams

Your experts could be publishing here

Stories like this one run on content MarketScale captures from real practitioners. See how your team's expertise becomes coverage in Retail and beyond.

Book a Demo

Or call us. No forms required. We pick up. 214-945-2512