Target Appoints Chandhu Nair as First Chief AI Officer
Effective August 24, 2023, Target has named Chandhu Nair as its inaugural chief AI officer. Nair, who previously held the position of senior vice president at Lowe's, has a background that includes roles at Staples and Gap, along with founding two companies. His goal is to implement AI solutions that benefit both Target's customers and employees, particularly in inventory management and tools for staff. In related news, Purvi Shah will be elevated to senior vice president of UX after her success in launching a conversational shopping feature using ChatGPT. Target's first-quarter net sales hit $25.4 billion, marking a 6.7% increase from the previous year, leading to an adjusted full-year sales growth forecast of approximately 4%.
Key facts
- Target named Chandhu Nair as its first chief AI officer on Tuesday.
- Nair will join Target on Aug. 24 as senior vice president and chief AI officer.
- He spent more than six years at Lowe's, most recently as senior vice president of stores, data, AI, and innovation.
- His earlier career included stints at Staples and Gap, and founding two ventures.
- Target is promoting Purvi Shah to senior vice president of UX; she launched a conversational shopping experience in ChatGPT eight months ago.
- Target's AI initiatives include Target Trend Brain and a conversational AI feature for gift ideas.
- Target posted first-quarter net sales of $25.4 billion, a 6.7% increase, and raised its full-year sales growth target to around 4%.
- Other companies with chief AI officer roles include Meta, Google, IBM, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Accenture, and PwC.
Entities
Institutions
- Target
- Lowe's
- Staples
- Gap
- Meta
- IBM
- Eli Lilly
- Pfizer
- Accenture
- PwC
- Walmart
- Best Buy
- OpenAI
- CNBC
- Fast Company
Sources
- Quartz —