How Albertsons Companies is reimagining retail from the inside out

Albertsons Companies has expanded a partnership with OpenAI to deploy AI across both customer-facing and internal retail operations at scale, spanning 2,200+ stores and 36 million weekly customers. The integration includes ChatGPT Enterprise for internal teams, a new Safeway plugin in ChatGPT that takes shoppers from meal idea to checkout, and OpenAI API-powered tools for merchandising, promotional insights, and basket recommendations. On the merchant side, Albertsons is combining predictive models with generative AI to produce explainable, data-driven recommendations that support more informed promotional decisions. The rollout follows a phased approach—building repeatable practices in focused areas before scaling across additional banner brands including Albertsons, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw's, ACME, and Tom Thumb.