Lowe’s Says ‘Semantic’ Data is Boosting Its AI Agents

Microsoft, Databricks, SAP and other AI software providers are fighting over control and access to enterprise data known as the semantic layer, as we reported last week. 

Semantic layers are essentially a data management tool that companies use to standardize definitions for their business metrics, such as revenue and customers, and are now enabling AI to work more accurately and efficiently inside enterprises.

Retailer Lowe’s, for instance, recently began using its semantic layer and another tool that defines how different types of corporate data are connected to each other—knowledge graphs—to improve how its AI agents help customers with orders or helping store managers coordinate the day-to-day work that employees do in stores, said Chandhu Nair, a senior vice president.

Lowe’s runs an AI-powered shopping assistant for customers and an AI sales coach for its employees, both of which it developed with OpenAI over the past couple of years. Lowe’s also developed a customized agent that helps its finance teams verify that invoices are processed accurately, which is important because of the volume of invoices it handles as the fifth-largest importer in the U.S., Nair said.