INAIR - INcreasing the uptake of AI in Retail

Abstract

Artificial intelligence is changing the way companies analyse data, serve customers, manage sales, inventory, communication and operational processes. For many businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, the main barrier is no longer access to AI tools themselves, but the lack of knowledge on how to use them in a meaningful, safe and cost-effective way. This is why the development of digital and AI-related skills is becoming one of the key questions for business competitiveness.

The panel will focus on how to identify, assess and develop digital and AI skills in companies, with particular attention to the retail sector, while also offering insights relevant to other industries. The starting point for the discussion will be the findings of the INAIR project – Increasing the Uptake of AI in Retail – carried out, among others, by DELab UW. The project aims to reduce the AI skills gap among micro, small and medium-sized retail companies in Europe. It includes a diagnosis of skills needs, a training programme, and tools for assessing and personalising learning pathways for retail businesses.

The discussion will bring together three complementary perspectives. Renata Włoch will present key findings from the INAIR research on the skills needs of retail companies. Justyna Skorupska will contribute the perspective of e-commerce practice, digital sales strategy and market education — areas in which she has long supported entrepreneurs and industry institutions. Ovidiu Acomi will show how skills diagnosis can be translated into assessment methodology, development pathways and practical educational tools, including solutions created within the INAIR project. The aim of the panel is to address three questions: what AI skills companies really need today; how these skills can be assessed without excessive formalisation; and how to design training that does not stop at inspiration, but leads to actual changes in business practice.