AI Agents in Retail: A New Customer Experience Architecture

ASOS's virtual stylist increased the average order value by 28%, and Amazon learned to buy products from third-party sites, keeping customers in the ecosystem—but behind these successes lie billion-dollar failures and lawsuits. Petr Lukyanchenko examines why 80% of companies fail when implementing AI agents and why the system's architecture is more important than the model itself. From autonomous shopping to discriminatory algorithms, these are real-world examples of the technology that's changing retail right now.

Added a document "REGULATION ON THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT".

IT Strategy and GenAI

In the midst of the GenAI hype, businesses expect rapid efficiency gains, while IT faces limitations related to data, security, and process maturity. In this article, Dmitry Inshakov, CIO of Kept (ex-KPMG), MBA lecturer and PhD in Technical Sciences, explains how an IT strategy helps transform GenAI from a set of isolated experiments into a managed program with measurable impact. The author explores how to align strategy with business goals and the budget cycle, prioritize initiatives, and embed GenAI into the organization without losing control or increasing risk.

AI News, December 2025

December 2025 was marked by a scandal involving AI toys that taught children dangerous behavior and discussed inappropriate topics, while the Chinese market for such toys is growing to $14 billion. Trump signed an executive order blocking state-level AI regulation, while Spain and Brazil are strengthening oversight of the technology. Google is challenging Nvidia by expanding PyTorch support for its chips, and AstraZeneca is revolutionizing the pharmaceutical industry by cutting trial protocol development time by 85% using AI.

Principles of teamwork

Evgeniya Borsch, Director of Culture and Leadership at Lemana PRO and a certified ICF coach with 20 years of experience in HR, held a training session on “Principles of Team Interaction” for IT managers and teams. She presented four basic pillars of team effectiveness and a model of five disciplines of highly effective teams. Participants received practical diagnostic tools and a systematic approach to building effective team interaction.