Best Buy Integrated Artificial Intelligence Tools

The retailer introduced a conversational shopping assistant and expanded its use of AI in August 2026.

Updated on Sept. 24, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence

Isometric editorial illustration of interconnected geometric forms, representing AI-driven systems and retail data integration. — Best Buy launched its Ask Blue shopping assistant and integrated OpenAI technology in August 2026 to enhance customer product discovery and purchasing. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Best Buy launched its Ask Blue conversational shopping assistant in August 2026 to help customers navigate product discovery. The retailer also integrated OpenAI technology to facilitate direct purchasing and gift-buying through ChatGPT.

Why it matters

Leadership views these artificial intelligence tools as essential enablers of corporate growth and improved employee experiences. The integration aims to streamline the shopping process by consolidating product knowledge, support resources, and pricing data.

Best Buy currently holds the No. 8 spot in the North American Top 1000 Database for online retailers. It also ranks No. 200 within Digital Commerce 360's AI rankings.

The players

Best Buy

This multinational electronics retailer serves the North American market and maintains a significant digital commerce presence.

OpenAI

This artificial intelligence research and deployment company provides the technology powering Best Buy's shopping integrations.

Corie Barry

She serves as the current CEO of Best Buy and has overseen the company's recent strategic pivot toward artificial intelligence.

Jason Bonfig

He is the incoming CEO of Best Buy who is scheduled to assume leadership of the organization in November 2026.

The details

Ask Blue provides customers with comprehensive product details, review summaries, and real-time availability while offering a seamless connection to human support specialists when needed. These systems are being leveraged to assist with gift-buying and product discovery throughout the 2026 holiday season.

CEO Corie Barry discussed AI strategies at the UBS conference in March 2026.
Best Buy announced the official launch of the Ask Blue assistant in August 2026.
Jason Bonfig is scheduled to replace Corie Barry as CEO on November 1, 2026.
OpenAI-powered gift-buying features are slated for the 2026 holiday season.

Roadmap

Best Buy follows the industry-wide pattern of integrating ChatGPT commerce integration to optimize customer search and discovery. This shift represents a broader movement among major retailers to replace legacy product discovery tools with conversational AI.

Shoppers can now use the Ask Blue assistant to receive faster assistance with product reviews, pricing, and item availability. These changes are designed to reduce the time spent searching for gift options during the busy 2026 holiday season.

The takeaway

Retailers are increasingly relying on conversational AI to bridge the gap between automated product discovery and human customer support. Consumers can expect more personalized, interactive shopping interfaces as these systems become standard for major e-commerce platforms.