LEIDEN, NETHERLANDS — IKEA, the world-renowned leader in home furnishing solutions, has launched a new IKEA AI assistant, an AI-powered home design, inspiration, and shopping tool, available exclusively on the OpenAI GPT Store. The move marks a significant step in democratizing planning services and creating a better life for the many by offering a tool that gives users personalized furniture and decor suggestions based on factors such as room dimensions, personal style, sustainability preferences, budget, functional requirements, and more.
A new shopping experience
The IKEA AI Assistant represents the first-of-its-kind interactive experience in the GPT Store. With the IKEA AI Assistant, users can:
- Utilize GPT to articulate their specific home design needs and receive customized recommendations. For instance, ‘’Show me a cozy living room layout for a small apartment with the use of sustainable materials.’’
- Explore IKEA’s extensive catalog featuring thousands of products, ranging from minimalist designs to artistic collections, and check for their availability across different locations.
- Gain inspiration from design ideas and real-life-home transformation stories within the IKEA global community, as well as tips from furnishing experts as you go.
Francesco Marzoni, Chief Data and Analytics Officer at IKEA, explained, “We are taking a pragmatic, execution-focused approach, learning by doing and capitalizing on our early efforts of a Responsible AI framework. We activated a broad ecosystem of partners to bring to life several experiments so that we can take part in the AI evolution as we shape our company strategy.’’
The IKEA AI Assistant is currently available for GPT Plus users in the US market only. IKEA is looking to take its Scandinavian design inspiration and recommendations to even more markets where ChatGPT is available during the year.
Looking forward
Parag Parekh, Global Chief Digital Officer at IKEA Retail (Ingka Group), added, ‘’The new IKEA AI Assistant on GPT Stores is an ongoing initiative and the continuation of a journey that looks to enrich the retail experience and explore additional avenues to interact with our customers and coworkers, as they help us improve and develop further.”
IKEA commitment to responsible AI
Ingka Group’s approach to Responsible AI is focused on driving innovation that is rooted in integrity, empathy, and a strong sense of responsibility, embodying a human-centric approach. Furthermore, Ingka Group has initiated an AI education program throughout the company, aiming to train upwards of over 3,000 employees in 2024. This effort empowers internal teams and serves as a call to action for others to join this progressive movement. Ingka Group sees the future of AI as an opportunity for a more ethical and inclusive use of technology, benefiting a wider community.
