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~ Youwe ~

READY OR NOT

HERE AI COME

Text: Janine Nothlichs // Photos: Youwe, iStock

In this exclusive interview, we sit down with Sebastiaan den Boer, the Director of Data
Science and AI at Youwe, to delve into the AI phenomenon that’s
taking the world by storm. With the rise of ChatGPT and an array
of similar AI solutions, AI has undoubtedly become the “buzzword
of the year.” But are we overhyping it? Perhaps. Do deep-fake videos

and AI-generated doctoral theses give us the chills? Absolutely.
However, AI represents a powerful tool for e-commerce companies
looking to scale their content production, expand into new markets,
and enhance customer service. The key takeaway is that AI’s
potential is fully realized only when paired with the right intentions,
SEBASTIAAN DEN BOER
governance, and data structures.
DIRECTOR OF DATA SCIENCE AND AI AT YOUWE
Nerd, an MBA, and AI Walk Into a Bar... provide invaluable support. It is actually best in supporting
Allow us to introduce Sebastiaan, a self-described people that are actually really good at their job, who already
A “nerd with an MBA” — a testament to his extensive know what they need and what to ask for,” he emphasizes.
knowledge and expertise. Sebastiaan’s career reads like a
tech enthusiast’s dream, spanning from cutting-edge work AI Facilitates Human Interaction
in medical diagnostics to combating digital crime with the Following e-commerce trends for the past couple of years,
Dutch government. Today, he’s leading Youwe’s efforts in personalization, personal interaction and real-life experiences
building a data science and AI portfolio tailored to the needs have been at the forefront of what customers wished for and
of the agency’s Martech, E-Commerce, and Digital Strategy what they missed when shopping online, especially when
clients. shopping at sellers in foreign countries. How does that match
up with the overpowerful AI hype? “Interesting question,”
The Transformative Power of AI admits Sebastiaan, “Humans crave human attention, right?
Without a doubt, Artificial Intelligence is poised to reshape And AI is by definition not human, of course, so it can
the landscape of e-commerce. According to Sebastiaan, never fill that gap entirely. But AI can facilitate human
asking how AI will impact the industry is akin to questioning interaction. It allows many more people to interact. It can,
the internet’s capabilities. He asserts, “From customer for instance, translate on the fly, so someone from France can
care and logistics to marketing, there’s hardly any facet of communicate with someone from Japan, both speaking their
e-commerce that won’t be touched by AI.” While AI may native language. AI can also help you navigate certain cultural
not rewrite a nation’s politics or laws, it will certainly bring complexities or subtleties much better.” So, if you look at it
substantial value to cross-border retailers. This spans from like that, AI will allow for more human interactions rather
content translation and personalization to tailoring offerings than eliminating them.
for specific regions, subcultures, or niches. Sebastiaan sees
AI as a facilitator rather than a magic wand, particularly in Chatbots Will Be More Than Just Digital Parrots
strategic initiatives like market entry into new countries. We’ve all experienced the frustration of chatbots that seem
“You’ll still need experts in areas such as pricing, product to miss the mark in conversations. Sebastiaan recalls, “Who
assortment, and seasonality making the decisions, but AI can can forget Clippy, Microsoft’s first interactive AI assistant,

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