As we sit in the middle of conference and expo season, we chat with Alicia Esposito about what she is excited about in retail right now and why, while also discussing the need for humans and community even with the advancement of AI technology. Plus, a special announcement about RICE X Future Commerce June 2023! Listen now for all of this and more!We Still Need Humans{00:05:50} There are two key areas that Alicia is most excited about in retail right now: retail media and also the store become a place of community building and connection{00:08:54} We’ve been talking about AI for years at Future Commerce, but now there are more practical applications that are enhancing customer experiences, and that is exciting{00:13:08} “The use of these tools as an ideation platform and as an enabler of creativity versus a killer of it is the path that I'm more inclined to take.” - Alicia (We’ll still always need humans).{00:19:55} “It'd be really interesting to see what would happen if you took something like Midjourney and you wanted to create something really broad market, down market, and made it really experiential…” Like Dollar Tree as experiential retail. - Brian{00:23:42} Both Lyft and Uber have commercialzed the ability to jump to the front of the line, which a point of inspiration for everybody, and we will see this more and more{00:26:08} How do we maximize on collaborations that bring the artistic community and the commerce community together better because there’s a huge opportunity there{00:28:17} RICE (Retail Innovation Conference & Expo) is coming in June, and there are so many incredible speakers and content creators, including Future Commerce, lined up to be a part of it{00:41:27} ChatGPT, the Gell-Mann Amnesia Effect, and other AI vehicles are all reminders that we need to exercise caution and we still have a lot to learn from each other{00:46:58} Artists and people that do have deep transactional expertise and leadership in retail brands will share one stage together at the Visions Summit at RICE and talk about this thing that we all do, which is really try to affect some sort of lasting impact with a relationship with a customerAssociated Links:Find out more about The Visions Summit at RICE 2023 and make plans to meet us there!Don't miss out on getting your ticket to RICE 2023 before prices go up!Learn more about Alicia Esposito and Retail TouchPointsHave you checked out our YouTube channel yet?Get your copy of Archetypes, our newly published 240-page journal. Check it out at ArchetypesJournal.comSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more of what we are witnessing in the commerce world! Listen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.fm, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!