In
the
late
1980s,
I
was
working
in
the
rental
car
business.
My
first
company
didn’t
have
a
single
computer.
Everything
—
contracts,
inventory,
employee
records
—
was
done
by
hand.
If
you
wanted
a
report,
you
dug
through
paper
files
and
crunched
numbers
on
a
calculator.
It
was
tedious,
but
it
was
all
we
knew.
Then
I
moved
to
another
company.
They
had
one
computer,
shoved
in
the
back
office.
At
first,
it
didn’t
affect
me.
Some
guy
came
in
after
hours,
entered
contracts
and
printed
reports.
But
I
was
curious.
I
knew
this
was
going
to
change
everything.
So
after
I
clocked
out,
I
stayed
to
watch
what
he
was
doing.
I
asked
questions.
I
learned
how
it
worked.
AI
tools
can
help
you
stock
less
junk
and
more
of
what
sells,
using
sales
data
to
schedule
smarter,
retain
great
employees
and
more
—
without
needing
a
degree
in
computer
science.
A
few
months
later,
they
rolled
out
computers
at
every
desk.
While
everyone
else
was
intimidated
by
the
change,
I
was
already
fluent.
I
trained
my
coworkers,
got
promoted
and
realized
something
important:
The
people
who
lean
into
new
tools
early
don’t
just
survive
transitions
—
they
lead
them.
Today,
we’re
facing
that
same
moment
again.
This
time,
the
new
tool
is
artificial
intelligence.
What
AI Really
Is,
and
What
It’s
Not
There’s
a
lot
of
anxiety
around
AI
replacing
jobs
—
and
in
some
industries,
that
may
be
partly
true.
But
in
most
cases,
and
especially
in
retail,
AI
is
not
here
to
replace
people.
It’s
here
to
replace
repetitive
tasks,
guesswork
and
inefficiency.
Think
of
it
like
a
power
tool:
It
doesn’t
build
the
house
for
you,
but
it
sure
makes
the
work
easier
and
faster.
Here
are
some
things
AI
can
do:
-
Spot
patterns
in
your
POS
data
that
you
might
never
detect
on
your
own. -
Forecast
what
SKUs
are
about
to
take
off,
or
crash. -
Flag
theft
and
shrinkage
without
hours
of
video
review. -
Automate
your
payroll
and
employee
schedules
based
on
real
traffic. -
Scan
and
categorize
your
vendor
invoices
—
while
you
sleep. -
Flag
dead
inventory. -
Write
job
descriptions.
In
other
words,
AI
is
the
office
computer
of
the
2020s.
The
Pleasure
Industry
Is
Ripe
for
AI
Adult
retail
has
always
been
a
balancing
act.
We
serve
a
diverse,
curious
customer
base.
We
juggle
thousands
of
SKUs
across
categories,
from
wellness
and
fashion
to
tech
and
novelty.
Our
products
are
high-margin
but
high-turnover.
And
we
deal
with
sensitive
topics
that
require
trust,
personalization
and
discretion.
AI
can
support
all
of
that
—
if
we
let
it
Just
like
that
old
rental
car
office,
many
stores
are
still
using
outdated
methods:
gut
instinct
for
ordering,
spreadsheets
for
scheduling,
and
hours
of
manual
entry
for
accounting.
It
works,
but
it’s
slow
and
error-prone.
It
holds
back
growth.
Your
Most
Valuable
Tech
Skill:
Curiosity
You
don’t
need
a
tech
background
to
benefit
from
AI.
All
you
need
is
curiosity.
That’s
it.
You
don’t
have
to
understand
how
AI
works,
just
like
you
don’t
need
to
know
binary
code
to
operate
a
laptop.
If
you
can
upload
a
spreadsheet,
review
a
dashboard
and
ask
a
good
question,
you’re
already
90%
of
the
way
there.
Plus,
the
tools
are
getting
easier
and
easier
to
use.
Many
of
them
integrate
with
platforms
you
know,
like
Lightspeed,
Shopify,
QuickBooks,
iSolved,
etc.
Some
work
right
out
of
the
box.
Others
are
like
digital
coworkers,
quietly
doing
tasks
you
didn’t
even
realize
were
slowing
you
down.
When
I
say
AI
can
transform
adult
retail
operations,
I
don’t
mean
it
will
turn
everything
upside
down.
I
mean
it
will
help
you
accomplish
the
tasks
you
already
do
in
ways
that
are
faster,
smarter
and
less
stressful.
AI
tools
can
help
you
stock
less
junk
and
more
of
what
sells,
using
sales
data
to
schedule
smarter,
retain
great
employees
and
more
—
without
needing
a
degree
in
computer
science.
The
Future
Is
Now
AI
is
no
longer
a
futuristic
concept;
it’s
already
here.
If
you’re
still
on
the
fence,
I
invite
you
to
think
back
to
when
email
felt
like
a
novelty,
or
when
using
a
touchscreen
cash
register
seemed
“too
complicated.”
Change
always
feels
daunting…
until
it
becomes
normal.
The
AI
wave
is
moving
even
faster.
The
sooner
we
hop
on,
the
more
we
get
to
shape
how
it
serves
us.
Ask
the
questions.
Explore
the
tools.
This
is
your
chance
to
be
the
person
who
knows
how
to
use
the
computer
before
it
hits
every
desk.
Remember:
AI
won’t
take
your
job…
but
someone
good
at
using
AI
just
might.
Zondre
Watson
is
the
general
manager
of
technology
and
analytics
for
adult
retail
chain
Ero-Tech.
With
a
background
in
finance,
chocolate
and
controlled
chaos,
he
blends
retail
know-how
with
AI
tools
to
keep
17,000
products
moving
smoothly.