Christine Russo sits down with James Hughes, Retail CTO at Verizon Business, for an onsite conversation recorded at NRF 2026, unpacking how AI, network infrastructure, and immersive technologies are actually reshaping retail operations and in-store experiences.

Hughes breaks down where AI delivers real productivity gains today, from helping store associates locate products faster to enabling immersive customer journeys like virtual try-ons and AI-powered shopping assistants. He explains why storytelling matters when selling AI internally, and why most retail innovation fails without the right connectivity layer underneath it.

The conversation dives into 5G, fixed wireless access, and edge infrastructure as practical enablers, not futuristic hype. Hughes shares real examples of how poor in-store connectivity can derail personalization, retail media activations, and computer vision deployments, and why infrastructure teams must be brought into innovation conversations much earlier.

Russo and Hughes also explore IoT, automation, and computer vision in stores, including how retailers are using data from cameras, beacons, and tags to improve conversion, staff performance, inventory visibility, and loss prevention. The episode closes with a candid look at the tension between CMOs pushing innovation and CIOs protecting core systems, and what it takes to modernize retail technology without disrupting the business.

This episode is a grounded, operator-level look at what it really takes to scale AI in retail, straight from the floor at NRF 2026.

What Just Happened went to NRF 2026 in New York City. Christine Russo sat down live at the RELEX booth with Greg Wilson, VP of Field Strategy at RELEX Solutions, to unpack how AI in retail is finally moving from experimentation to real world deployment.

Wilson explains why RELEX has a structural advantage in the current AI moment. Long before large language models dominated the conversation, the company built deep infrastructure using advanced mathematics, optimization, and exception based decisioning to solve complex retail problems. That foundation now allows RELEX to deploy targeted AI agents that move seamlessly from insight to action, rather than simply flagging issues and leaving teams to piece together solutions on their own.

Russo and Wilson discuss why AI cannot live in silos, and why retail organizations structured around product movement rather than the customer are hitting real limits. As customers themselves become AI enabled and more informed across pricing, promotions, and availability, retailers must respond faster and with greater precision. Wilson makes the case that the real challenge is no longer technology, but organizational change.

The conversation also explores how RELEX is applying AI at the store level, especially in complex areas like fresh grocery, where intuition has historically driven decisions. By equipping store teams with AI powered recommendations and aggregating that intelligence upstream, RELEX is helping retailers improve availability, freshness, and execution in real time.

The episode closes with a pragmatic view of AI’s hype cycle and a clear analogy for how it should work. Large language models act as orchestrators, while specialized agents and tools do the real work. The takeaway is simple. AI delivers value when it is purpose built, interactive, and designed to turn decisions into outcomes at speed.

What Just Happened headed to CES 2026 in Las Vegas. and Christine Russo sat down live on-site with Nathalie Gaveau, Chief Client Officer at Publicis Sapient, to talk about what it really means to move from AI curiosity to AI deployment.

Publicis Sapient sits in a unique position in the market, operating at the intersection of strategy, engineering, data, and design, and moving with a speed that is often missing in large enterprise organizations. Gaveau points to the firm’s DNA as an innovator, from helping create the earliest airline seat booking systems to building some of the first large scale ecommerce platforms. That legacy shows up today in how quickly the company moves from idea to execution, combining deep technical capability with a founder mindset that prioritizes outcomes, not theory.

Russo and Gaveau dig into why CES has become a proving ground for enterprise AI and why strategy has to lead before technology. Gaveau explains that AI is no longer about experimentation or side projects. It is about scaling, driving real ROI, and making sure people actually use the tools being deployed. Without engagement, AI does not learn and does not deliver value.

The conversation centers on data as the foundation for everything. Gaveau is direct about the reality that many large companies are still not AI ready because of fragmented, legacy data systems. She shares how Publicis Sapient approaches this with a founder mindset, prioritizing use cases that deliver near term impact while building toward long term transformation.

Russo and Gaveau also explore the rise of non human customers and what it means when AI agents, not people, are making buying decisions. From agentic experience to the shift from SEO to GEO, they discuss how brands need to rethink discovery, storytelling, loyalty, and perception in a world where agents are shopping on behalf of humans.

The episode closes with reflections on CES themes like companion AI, robotics, and health tech, and why ease of use, speed, and trust determine what actually scales.