The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is severe. Specialty retailers have been particularly affected, with many forced to close their stores. Apart from online business, their income has dried out.

As seen in Power Retail (27 April 2020) ” The outbreak is one of the most unprecedented events in modern history. So, what does this mean for retail and will it survive after the virus has gone?

In 2018, you just can’t hide from the media frenzy around Artificial Intelligence. Statements like “CIOs must put AI on the fast track”, “the local business sector is well behind foreign competitors”, “totally unprepared”, “we have to catch up”, and “Elon Musk and tech heavies invest $1 billion in Artificial Intelligence” dominate the headlines. At the same time, just about every software application with semi-advanced algorithmic capabilities now claims to include AI.

Co-authored by Lex Gorecki