Shopify has announced 'Sidekick', a generative AI tool designed to assist e-commerce merchants. Part of Shopify's AI initiative 'Shopify Magic', Sidekick leverages proprietary data and large language models, akin to OpenAI's ChatGPT.
Sidekick's capabilities include generating personalized responses to customers, as well as creating blog posts, product descriptions, and marketing emails. It can interpret business-related queries, such as setting up discounts or segmenting customers for marketing. It can also help modify Shopify merchant shop designs, suggesting themes and adding product collections to a homepage, and it can also conduct tasks like summarizing sales documents and performing basic product research.
Shopify says it ensures the accuracy and safety of the content generated by Sidekick. Merchants have the opportunity to review the copy before it goes live, and the AI features are restricted from making changes to Shopify production systems.
This is kind of a big deal. I expect these features to become table stakes for every ecommerce platform. In one respect, you can say that there's nothing new here because all of these features are available as individual products… but that's the point. The power is in the convenience and ease of use. Now, any Shopify user can benefit from these features regardless of their level of AI knowledge. Well done, Shopify!
As always, your thoughts and comments are both welcome and encouraged. -s
P.S. ICYMI: On yesterday's Shelly Palmer LIVE, I talked about new ChatGPT features, the now-infamous AI-created South Park episode (and what it means for the television production business), pending AI copyright lawsuits, potential regulation, Llama 2, and much, much more. Watch it here.
ABOUT SHELLY PALMER
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing. Named LinkedIn’s “Top Voice in Technology,” he covers tech and business for Good Day New York, is a regular commentator on CNN and writes a popular daily business blog. He's a bestselling author, and the creator of the popular, free online course, Generative AI for Execs. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.
