Debenhams Group in transformational multi-year AI deal with Amazon Web Services
The company said that by using advanced technologies like Generative AI (GenAI), the link-up will help it streamline its operations and rapidly scale new brands using AI-driven tools.
For instance, it means automated descriptions of thousands of products, which the company said will speed up the process 20-fold. Then there's an interactive AI Room Styler that offers personalised decor suggestions linking directly to shoppable listings, while AI-powered product attribution and taxonomy is being used to 'improve search and navigation, helping customers discover relevant products faster'.
It already uses AWS cloud services on the Debenhams platform with AWS's server-less cloud technology powering its successful marketplace model 'by facilitating the faster onboarding of third-party sellers, a broader product selection and an effortless purchasing journey'.
Now, AI-generated content, powered by Amazon Bedrock – a fully managed service that makes it easy to build and scale GenAI applications – is what will enable Debenhams Group to automate product descriptions and translations across tens of thousands of products, 'improving consistency, localisation and speed to market'.
Its translations into six languages now happen automatically, so no extra work is needed. 'This means products are ready to sell in different countries much quicker,' it said.
Dan Finley, CEO of Debenhams Group, was understandably upbeat: 'Collaborating with AWS is a key part of our long-term strategy to transform Debenhams Group into a modern, technology-led retailer. We've successfully replaced outdated legacy systems with scalable, cloud-first architecture that's adaptable, resilient and built to support innovation well into the group's future.'
And perhaps addressing worries over jobs, he added: 'Our strategic investment in AI and emerging technologies will not only future-proof the business, but create a faster, smarter and more personalised experience for our customers. Working closely with a hand-picked team of engineers and AWS specialists, together, we're not only accelerating our digital road-map, but making Debenhams Group an exciting place to work for the next generation of tech talent.'
Meanwhile Duncan Stewart, head of Retail & Consumer Packaged Goods UK & Ireland at AWS, said: 'By leveraging the flexibility and scalability of the cloud, Debenhams Group now has the technology foundations to quickly build and deploy innovative new AI-powered products and services across all of its brands, which will help drive business productivity and growth.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euronews
13 hours ago
- Euronews
OpenAI and Google win at the world's most prestigious math competition
Artificial intelligence (AI) models were put to the test this weekend to find out who was the best so-called mathlete at the world's most prestigious competition in Australia. Google's DeepMind and OpenAI, which makes ChatGPT, say they both achieved a gold medal-level performance at this year's International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), thoughonly Google had actually entered the competition. The IMO confirmed DeepMind's results, whereas OpenAI evaluated its model on the 2025 IMO problems and self-published its results before official verification. Alex Wei, a research scientist at OpenAI working on large language models (LLMs) and reasoning, announced the results on his X account. An advanced version of DeepMind's Gemini Deep Think solved five out of the six IMO problems perfectly, earning 35 total points and achieving gold-medal level performance. OpenAI's model also solved five out of the six IMO problems and had the same score. Both models show how far AI has come since the technology catapulted with the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022. The math test in itself is very hard and only about 10 per cent of the 630 competitors received a gold medal this year. Participants from more than 100 countries entered the competition, which is aimed at elite high-school students. Those under the age of 20 can apply. 'When we first started OpenAI, this was a dream but not one that felt very realistic to us; it is a significant marker of how far AI has come over the past decade,' OpenAI CEO Sam Altman wrote on X in reference to the math competition. He added that the company will 'soon' release a new version, GPT-5, but that it doesn't plan 'to release a model with IMO gold level of capability for many months'. Meanwhile, Google wrote in a blog post: "It is a significant marker of how far AI has come over the past decade". The company participated in the competition last year and won a silver medal. "Our leap from silver to gold medal-standard in just one year shows a remarkable pace of progress in AI," Google said. However, both companies celebrated the human participants and avoided framing the competition as a man versus machine challenge. Wei called them "some of the brightest young minds of the future" and said that OpenAI employs some former IMO competitors.
France 24
a day ago
- France 24
Anxious parents face tough choices on AI
"It's really hard to predict anything over five years," said Adam Tal, an Israeli marketing executive and father of two boys aged seven and nine, when describing the post-generative AI world. Tal is "very worried" about the future this technology holds for his children -- whether it's deepfakes, "the inability to distinguish between reality and AI," or "the thousands of possible new threats that I wasn't trained to detect." Mike Brooks, a psychologist from Austin, Texas, who specializes in parenting and technology, worries that parents are keeping their heads in the sand, refusing to grapple with AI. "They're already overwhelmed with parenting demands," he observed -- from online pornography and TikTok to video games and "just trying to get them out of their rooms and into the real world." For Marc Watkins, a professor at the University of Mississippi who focuses on AI in teaching, "we've already gone too far" to shield children from AI past a certain age. Yet some parents are still trying to remain gatekeepers to the technology. "In my circle of friends and family, I'm the only one exploring AI with my child," remarked Melissa Franklin, mother of a 7-year-old boy and law student in Kentucky. "I don't understand the technology behind AI," she said, "but I know it's inevitable, and I'd rather give my son a head start than leave him overwhelmed." 'Benefits and risks' The path is all the more difficult for parents given the lack of scientific research on AI's effects on users. Several parents cite a study published in June by MIT, showing that brain activity and memory were more stimulated in individuals not using generative AI than in those who had access to it. "I'm afraid it will become a shortcut," explained a father of three who preferred to remain anonymous. "After this MIT study, I want them to use it only to deepen their knowledge." This caution shapes many parents' approaches. Tal prefers to wait before letting his sons use AI tools. Melissa Franklin only allows her son to use AI with her supervision to find information "we can't find in a book, through Google, or on YouTube." For her, children must be encouraged to "think for themselves," with or without AI. But one father -- a computer engineer with a 15-year-old -- doesn't believe kids will learn AI skills from their parents anyway. "That would be like claiming that kids learn how to use TikTok from their parents," he said. It's usually "the other way around." Watkins, himself a father, says he is "very concerned" about the new forms that generative AI is taking, but considers it necessary to read about the subject and "have in-depth conversations about it with our children." "They're going to use artificial intelligence," he said, "so I want them to know the potential benefits and risks." The CEO of AI chip giant Nvidia, Jensen Huang, often speaks of AI as "the greatest equalization force that we have ever known," democratizing learning and knowledge. But Watkins fears a different reality: "Parents will view this as a technology that will be used if you can afford it, to get your kid ahead of everyone else." The computer scientist father readily acknowledged this disparity, saying "My son has an advantage because he has two parents with PhDs in computer science, but that's 90 percent due to the fact that we are more affluent than average" -- not their AI knowledge. "That does have some pretty big implications," Watkins said.
Fashion Network
2 days ago
- Fashion Network
Li & Fung acquires Orrsum
Li & Fung announced on Friday the acquisition of UK-based hosiery, underwear, and loungewear maker, Orrsum. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Under the deal, Orrsum will operate as part of LF Europe and continue to be led by William Orr. The British business will leverage the Hong Kong-based firm's AI-enabled digital infrastructure and sourcing network across 40 economies to strengthen supply chain agility, improve speed-to-market, and expand into new geographies and channels, according to a press release. 'Joining the Li & Fung family is a milestone for Orrsum,' said William Orr, CEO of Orrsum, which delivers over 50 million pairs of socks annually to more than 5,000 retail doors worldwide. 'With access to their global platform and advanced technology, we can expand our footprint, enhance service levels, and unlock new growth opportunities for our customers and partners.' The deal is Li & Fung's first acquisition in over ten years, and marks the first takeover since it went private in 2020. The supply chain management company said the deal is a strategic pivot toward platform-based growth, focused on scalable product categories, digital integration, and resilient supply chain solutions. 'Looking ahead, our growth will be fueled by a combination of disciplined organic expansion and selective acquisitions that strengthen our platform and extend our category leadership,' said Joseph Phi, group CEO of Li & Fung. 'This acquisition reflects our renewed momentum through expanded product specialization, leveraging our resilient, technology-enabled, and customer-focused global supply chain.' Founded in 1998, Orrsum makes hoisery and underwear for global brands including Ellesse, Ted Baker, Nautica, Umbro, Penguin, Hype, and Coca Cola, among others.
