Kevin Kiley, CEO, Airia
The Inflection Point: AI Becomes Core Retail Infrastructure
In January, we returned to the National Retail Federation Big Show at the Javits Center in New York City as both an exhibitor and an active participant in the broader AI conversation shaping retail.
With more than 1,000 exhibitors, AI was everywhere- in signage, in demos, in nearly every keynote and breakout. But what struck me most was how much the tone has shifted. In 2024 and 2025, many of the conversations centered around possibility. At NRF 2026, the dialogue was grounded in production: what’s live, what’s scaling, and what’s delivering measurable operational impact.
At the Airia booth, we had a steady stream of retail executives, from digital and data leaders to operations and store innovation teams, all focused on moving beyond experimentation. The questions were no longer “What can AI do?” They were far more pragmatic: What are practical AI use cases for our business? How do we operationalize AI responsibly across the enterprise, and how do we scale it? And just as importantly, how do we maintain governance and trust as AI systems gain more autonomy?
By Kevin Kiley, CEO, Airia
AI is no longer a concept in retail. It is operational infrastructure, and the real challenge now is scaling it responsibly.
That shift aligns directly with what we’re seeing across the market. Retailers are embedding AI into merchandising workflows, supply chain forecasting, customer engagement, and store operations. The pace of adoption is accelerating, and with it, the complexity. Retailers are not exploring AI as a concept anymore. They are looking to embed it into real workflows, with the right guardrails in place to ensure performance, compliance, and brand integrity.
Some of the most meaningful discussions took place outside the sessions and beyond the booth. At private gatherings like the Retail AI Council events and other industry receptions, leaders spoke openly about what is delivering results, where implementations are stalling, and how governance models are struggling to keep pace with rapid deployment. There is a clear shift underway. AI in retail is no longer viewed as a competitive experiment. It is becoming core operational infrastructure.
My biggest takeaway from NRF 2026 is that we’ve crossed an inflection point. AI is no longer a future-focused conversation. It is embedded in everyday retail decision-making. As adoption deepens, the stakes rise. In an industry where consumer confidence can be fragile, moving fast is not enough. We must move responsibly, with transparency, accountability, and clear guardrails.
NRF 2026 confirmed what we at Airia believe deeply: the next chapter of retail AI won’t be defined by novelty. It will be defined by disciplined execution and responsible scale.
MAR 2025
