Retail News CRM

Tag: muse

  • Airbnb Will Not Let Outside AI Agents Make Bookings, CEO Says

    Airbnb Will Not Let Outside AI Agents Make Bookings, CEO Says

    Airbnb will not allow outside artificial intelligence agents to book accommodations for travellers on its platform, chief executive Brian Chesky said during an interview in Palo Alto, California in 2025.

    The restriction blocks automated software systems, including Meta Platforms’ Muse, from completing direct transactions on the rental site on behalf of prospective guests.

    Guarding direct consumer access

    Outside artificial intelligence assistants are built to browse websites, compare prices, and complete transactions autonomously without direct human intervention. Allowing automated bots to process reservations would insert a third-party intermediary between the accommodation platform and the end user, reducing direct consumer interactions across the global hospitality business.

    Protecting the direct connection to the customer remains a primary defensive priority for online booking networks. When an external automated bot executes purchases, the platform loses user interface engagement, cross-selling opportunities, and direct brand loyalty. Blocking third-party agents preserves proprietary search traffic and booking data inside Airbnb’s own ecosystem.

    The threat of platform disintermediation

    Online travel aggregators and regional short-stay booking platforms across Asia-Pacific face the same structural risk from emerging artificial intelligence assistants. Software agents developed by major technology companies threaten to turn digital marketplaces into commoditised back-end inventory providers. Operators that permit bot-driven transactions risk ceding pricing power, customer ownership, and ancillary revenue to artificial intelligence interface owners.

    The business model of holiday rental platforms relies heavily on consumer browsing time. Chesky noted that holiday preparation is part of the user experience, arguing that the search process itself retains consumer appeal. Retaining direct customer traffic ensures the company maintains complete control over user data and listing visibility.

    Defending transaction channels

    Online travel companies have spent years building direct-to-consumer loyalty programmes and mobile applications to lower customer acquisition costs. Letting autonomous agents handle bookings unwinds those investments by routing consumers through third-party automated search layers. Chesky’s decision establishes a formal barrier against autonomous software agents executing guest checkouts.

    Holiday rental operators will watch whether competing booking engines adopt identical firewall policies against artificial intelligence agents or open their inventory to automated buying tools.

  • Japan Startup Muse Deploys Retail Robots to New York Grocery Stores

    Japan Startup Muse Deploys Retail Robots to New York Grocery Stores

    Japanese robotics startup Muse rolled out its automated retail helper robots in a New York grocery store to capture US supermarket demand for labor-saving physical artificial intelligence.

    The deployment puts automated shelf-stocking hardware directly into commercial grocery aisles alongside store clerks. Rising operational expenses and stubborn retail worker shortages across North America have accelerated the commercial rollout of Asian service robotics beyond domestic test markets.

    Automating shelf replenishment

    Muse built its physical AI machines to assist staff with the physical strain of routine grocery restocking. The robots navigate sales floors to handle merchandise replenishment tasks, reducing the repetitive lifting required of store associates during standard operating shifts.

    Store operators in the United States face persistent labor turnover in entry-level inventory roles. Deploying autonomous replenishment units allows grocers to maintain shelf availability without increasing headcount during peak restocking hours.

    Exporting Asian physical AI

    Japanese robotics developers are increasingly targeting overseas retail markets where wage pressures create faster paths to commercial adoption than domestic pilot schemes. While Japanese supermarkets have tested automated replenishment in limited urban formats, the scale of floor space in American grocery chains offers substantially larger hardware deployment volumes per client.

    Muse plans to use the New York supermarket deployment as an operational reference site to secure multi-unit rollouts across broader US retail chains.

  • Muse Shopping Centre’s new Incubator Store designed by JHP

    Muse Shopping Centre’s new Incubator Store designed by JHP

    JHP have been appointed by French developer Apsys to create a radical new store concept. ‘The Collection by Muse’, located in the newly opened Muse shopping centre in Metz, France, is the ultimate incubator store. Its flexible design and centralized POS system allow it to host brands on a temporary basis. Brands range from already established brands to young designers and emerging labels from all around the world, and are as diverse as Fashion, Accessories, Beauty, Home, Objects and Technology companies. Current tenant is upcoming French fashion label ‘French Mode’.

    The principle is simple: every three to four months, a new brand takes the reins of the shop to exhibit their collections. Located on the first floor of Muse, the Collection by Muse’s main purpose is to incubate new retailers and brands, test the popularity of new categories, respond to seasonal demand, inspire and encourage customers to return again and again.

    Muse, Lorraine’s new mall, opened its doors to the public on 22 November 2017, opposite the Centre Pompidou-Metz museum complex and a few minutes’ walk from Metz city centre in France. As the cornerstone of the new Amphithéâtre quarter, Muse fosters an urban mix thanks to a combination of retail outlets, homes, offices and leisure facilities of over 80,000 sqm.

    The centre accommodates 112 outlets including fashion boutiques, home décor stores, restaurants and day-to-day shops, including Primark, Carrefour Market, Superdry, New Look, Zadig & Voltaire, Sephora, and the restaurants Burger King, Air Bagels and Beef House.

     

    Lees ook: