What Shopping in the Future Will Look Like

Ms. Chan pointed to Amazon.com Inc.'s new "Go" convenience store in Seattle as an example. Shoppers at the store are tracked by an array of sensors, and the store uses computer vision and machine-learning algorithms to charge shoppers, follow them through the store and learn about their buying habits. Ms. Chan expects stores to more deeply integrate artificial intelligence into the shopping experience. For example, she said, stores in the future will allow shoppers to scan food for nutrition and other information, then suggest other items to round out a meal and guide shoppers through the store--all while gathering and storing information about shoppers' buying habits.