Target Appoints Chandhu Nair as First Chief AI Officer in Major Push to Remake Shopping Experience

Target appoints its first chief AI officer as big retailers bet on AI

Target announced it has appointed its first ever chief artificial intelligence officer on Tuesday in the retailer's latest bet to capitalize on the AI boom. The company named Chandhu Nair as its chief AI officer and senior vice president and also announced Purvi Shah as the company's senior vice president of user experience. "The most meaningful AI stories won't be about what happens in a lab," Nair said in a statement. "They'll be about what happens on the front line - how we make shopping easier for a guest, give a team member a better tool, make a business decision with more confidence or bring a new idea to market faster." Nair previously worked at home improvement retailer Lowe's as the company's senior vice president of stores, data, AI and innovation. He has also held roles at Staples and Gap. In his statement, Nair said he's focused on a "more coordinated approach" to AI for Target, including improving how the retailer manages inventory or enabling faster decisions. As it looks to win back shoppers and investors, the company has been investing in generative AI, including a tool called Target Trend Brain, which helps the retailer get ahead of trends and identify the styles, colors and materials that customers will be searching for. And last holiday season, Target launched a new conversational AI program to help customers find the right gift for the people on their shopping lists. The Tuesday announcement comes as many major retailers have been racing to keep up with the AI boom and integrate it into their business strategies. Target's rival Walmart has been rolling out AI tools and agents across its stores and supply chains to enhance the customer experience and make its internal employee processes more efficient. Gap announced a partnership with Google's Gemini earlier this year, and Best Buy has collaborations in place with OpenAI and Google. Retail company executives have been sizing up the AI transition and how it will evolve in the coming years. Former Walmart CEO Douglas McMillon told CNBC's "Squawk Box" in December that he decided to hand over the reins of the global retailer to someone "faster" who could tap into the ways AI could accelerate the business. John Furner took over the post from McMillon in February. "About a year ago, I really started feeling like this next run, you could see what agentic commerce was going to look like, the vision for AI shopping, and I started thinking about everything that needs to happen over the next few years, and it really caused me to think that now was the right time [to step down]," McMillon said at the time.

Target appoints its first chief AI officer as retailers scale up AI spending

Chandhu Nair joins from Lowe's on August 24, into a job that barely existed two years ago and now sits in three quarters of large organisations Target has named Lowe's executive Chandhu Nair as its first chief AI officer, starting August 24. IBM research puts the share of organisations with a chief AI officer at 76% this year, up from 26% in 2025. Target has appointed its first chief AI officer. Chandhu Nair joins from Lowe's on August 24 as senior vice president and chief AI officer. The retailer also named Purvi Shah senior vice president of user experience. Nair was senior vice president of stores, data, AI and innovation at Lowe's, and has previously worked at Staples and Gap. He said his focus at Target is a "more coordinated approach" to the technology, covering inventory management and faster decision-making. "The most meaningful AI stories won't be about what happens in a lab," Nair said in a statement. "They'll be about what happens on the front line, how we make shopping easier for a guest, give a team member a better tool, make a business decision with more confidence or bring a new idea to market faster." Target is not early to this. IBM's Institute for Business Value found that 76% of organisations it surveyed had a chief AI officer in 2026, up from 26% a year earlier, and that those with one reported 5% higher returns on their AI spending. The job is now close to standard, and one of the job titles AI created. The hire lands while Target is trying to win back shoppers and investors. It has been putting money into generative AI, including a tool called Target Trend Brain that forecasts the styles, colours and materials customers will search for. Last holiday season it launched a conversational feature to help shoppers pick gifts. Its rivals have moved on similar lines. Walmart has been rolling out AI tools and agents across its stores and supply chains, Gap struck a partnership with Google's Gemini this year, and Best Buy has arrangements with both OpenAI and Google. The pressure has reached the top job. Former Walmart chief executive Douglas McMillon told CNBC in December that he handed over to someone "faster" who could use AI to accelerate the business, and John Furner took the role in February. "About a year ago, I really started feeling like this next run, you could see what agentic commerce was going to look like, the vision for AI shopping, and I started thinking about everything that needs to happen over the next few years, and it really caused me to think that now was the right time," McMillon said. Stripe's John Collison has made a similar argument, that agentic commerce will transform shopping. That shift is further along elsewhere. Alibaba, Meituan and JD.com are already deploying shopping agents at scale in China, replacing the search bar rather than decorating it.

Target names first chief AI officer Chandhu Nair

Target $TGT named Chandhu Nair as its first chief AI officer on Tuesday, adding a dedicated executive to coordinate the retailer's artificial intelligence efforts across its business. Nair will join Target on Aug. 24 as senior vice president and chief AI officer, the company said. He spent more than six years at Lowe's $LOW, most recently holding the title of senior vice president of stores, data, AI, and innovation. His earlier career included stints at Staples and Gap $GPS, along with founding two ventures: a data analytics software firm and a business strategy consulting startup, according to Fast Company. At the same time, Target is promoting Purvi Shah, the company's current vice president of user experience design, to senior vice president of UX. Shah has spent four years working on Target's user experience systems, including the launch of a conversational shopping experience in ChatGPT eight months ago, according to Fast Company. "What excites me most is the opportunity to make AI real for the people who experience Target every day," Nair said in a statement. "The most meaningful AI stories won't be about what happens in a lab. They'll be about what happens on the front line -- how we make shopping easier for a guest, give a team member a better tool, make a business decision with more confidence or bring a new idea to market faster." Nair said his first priority will be to listen and learn -- spending time with teams and seeing the business through the eyes of guests, team members, and partners -- before focusing AI where it can make the biggest difference. That could include improving inventory management, simplifying work for employees, or enabling faster decisions, the company said. Target has been building out its AI capabilities in recent years. Among its initiatives is Target Trend Brain, a tool designed to anticipate what styles, colors, and materials shoppers will want, and during the last holiday season the company introduced a conversational AI feature to guide customers toward gift ideas, according to CNBC. Target posted first-quarter net sales of $25.4 billion, a 6.7% increase from a year ago, and raised its full-year sales growth target to around 4% after results came in above expectations. CEO Michael Fiddelke said at the time the company was maintaining a cautious outlook given macroeconomic uncertainty, even as early results suggested its strategy was gaining traction with shoppers. The appointment puts Target in company with a broadening roster of organizations that have created the chief AI officer position, spanning tech giants like Meta $META, Google $GOOGL, and IBM $IBM as well as firms in other sectors such as Eli Lilly $LLY, Pfizer $PFE, Accenture $ACN, and PwC. Target's retail rivals have made similar moves -- Walmart $WMT has deployed AI tools and agents throughout its operations, Gap struck a deal with Google's Gemini, and Best Buy $BBY has arrangements in place with both OpenAI and Google, according to CNBC.

Target names its first chief AI officer in a bid to remake the shopping experience (exclusive)

Former Lowe's executive Chandhu Nair will lead the retailer's AI push, spanning everything from employee tools and inventory management to how customers shop online. Target has appointed Chandhu Nair as its first chief AI officer as the retailer doubles down on the technology and its potential benefits for customers. Nair comes to Target after more than six years with Lowe's, where he was most recently senior vice president of stores, data, AI, and innovation. He previously served nine years at Staples, and cofounded a data analytics software company and a business strategy consulting startup. "What excites me most is the opportunity to make AI real for the people who experience Target every day," Chanhu said in a Q&A provided by the company. "The most meaningful AI stories won't be about what happens in a lab. They'll be about what happens on the front line -- how we make shopping easier for a guest, give a team member a better tool, make a business decision with more confidence, or bring a new idea to market faster." Target is also promoting Purvi Shah, the current vice president of user experience design, to a senior VP role. The retailer is hoping the speed of AI, when paired with human-centered design, will elevate the shopping experience for customers. The company's AI efforts will impact both employee- and customer-facing systems. Shah has spent the past four years working on Target's user experience systems, including assisting in the launch of a conversational shopping experience in ChatGPT eight months ago. "Our role is to shape not only what people see, but the systems and decisions behind it to ensure each experience is as easy, inspiring, and valuable as it can be," Shah said in the Q&A. A fast-growing title Target is one of many companies that are appointing a CAIO these days. Meta, Google, and IBM have all created the role, a logical step given the importance of AI to tech firms. But companies in other industries have also appointed a chief AI officer, including Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Accenture, and PwC.

Target Appoints Lowe's Veteran Chandhu Nair as First Chief AI Officer | PYMNTS.com

Chandhu Nair will join the company on Aug. 24 and will bring greater focus and coordination to AI across the company, according to the article. Nair was most recently senior vice president, stores, data, AI and innovation at Lowe's Companies, according to his LinkedIn profile. Before joining Lowe's in 2020, Nair was co-founder and partner of Merkatus Partners, a consulting firm that focused on business strategy and emerging technologies; co-founder and CEO of Cognitive Retail, which developed and marketed advanced data analytics and automation software; and held three roles at Staples, most recently senior director and general manager, global eCommerce product and strategy, per the profile. "I've always believed that some of the best technology conversations happen in stores, not conference rooms," Nair wrote in a Tuesday post on LinkedIn. "And as AI reshapes retail, its true impact won't ultimately be measured by models, benchmarks or the sophistication of the technology." "It will be measured on the frontlines," Nair wrote in the post. "In how we make experiences better for guests. How we empower team members. How we simplify work. And ultimately, how we make the entire enterprise smarter while keeping people at the center." In the Target article announcing his appointment, Nair said a more coordinated approach to AI at Target could help the retailer keep up with the changing needs of customers, improve inventory management, simplify work for employees and enable faster, better-informed decisions. "The measure of success won't be how much AI we deploy," Nair said. "It will be the difference it makes for Target's growth, the guest experience and our team's ability to do their best work." When Target CEO Michael Fiddelke assumed his current role in February, he said technology is a top priority for the retailer. In a message from the CEO posted on Target's website, Fiddelke said the retailer's priorities include a guest experience that makes digital interactions "easier, more inspiring and welcoming" and technology that removes friction and helps create better experiences for guests.

Target Hires First Chief AI Officer in Retail's Latest Tech Push

Target said it is putting more resources into its artificial intelligence and user experience capabilities, the latest move by a major retailer to integrate more AI. The retailer said Tuesday it would bring on two executives to focus specifically on AI and user experience. Chandhu Nair will join as Target's first chief AI officer. Nair joins from Lowe's, where he was overseeing data and AI innovation at the hardware-store chain. Purvi Shah, who has been at Target for four years, will become senior vice president of user experience. AI is a crucial element of Target's plan to recover from sluggish performance, which includes an investment of about $6 billion this year. Target's chief executive, who started in February, is focused on using AI to help Target stay on top of trends, forecast sales better and invest in agentic models that can help customers find what they want. Among those initiatives is Target Trend Brain, an AI tool trained to sort through data from social media and fashion shows to help the company's designers decide what is on trend. The company also has partnered with OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini to allow shoppers to purchase products directly. The efforts mirror some of rival Walmart's initiatives. Walmart, too, has worked with OpenAI to allow customers to plan and execute purchases through the platform. In June, Walmart said it was using AI tools to streamline the work done by their employees, including translation and task management. Target is scheduled to report second-quarter financial results on Aug. 19, and Walmart is slated to report the following day.