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Top Companies' AI Moves

Home Depot is building out AI tools across customer service and delivery—backed by a newly rebuilt tech leadership team focused on three core business priorities.

Top Companies AI — US (1/2)4h ago5 min read
Home Depot is building out AI tools across customer service and delivery—backed by a newly rebuilt tech leadership team focused on three core business priorities.

Key takeaway

Home Depot has reorganized its technology leadership and is rolling out AI assistants and predictive delivery systems designed to serve both DIY shoppers and professional customers. The company is treating AI as a broad toolkit to solve identified business problems rather than limiting itself to a few flagship use cases, while facing the practical challenge of tailoring AI tools to different customer segments.

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3 Key Points

  • What happened

    Home Depot appointed Franziska Bell as chief technology officer in April (most recently at Ford), while Angie Brown serves as chief information officer and Jordan Broggi oversees customer experience and e-commerce. The company is deploying AI assistants including Magic Apron (launched March 2025, which answers shopper questions and summarizes reviews), a Google Cloud–based customer service system tested in 50 stores, and an internal 'order intelligence' system that assesses delivery risk and proactively alerts customers.

  • Why it matters

    Home Depot reported net sales grew 4.8% in fiscal first quarter despite economic headwinds including high interest rates and weak housing market conditions. Brown says the company is not limiting AI use cases—any AI tool that solves an identified business problem will be pursued. The three priorities linking all AI investments are supporting in-store merchandising, building a connected digital retail ecosystem, and growing business with contractors and professionals who spend more than DIY shoppers.

  • What to watch

    Magic Apron initially alienated professional customers with oversimplified questions; Home Depot pulled the pro version offline and is fine-tuning the system. The company is also developing a generative engine optimization strategy as shoppers increasingly browse goods on ChatGPT and Google's Gemini, though Broggi notes AI platforms' go-to-market strategies have shifted multiple times.

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FAQ

When did Magic Apron launch and what does it do?
Magic Apron debuted in March 2025 and can answer shopper questions and summarize product reviews. It is trained on Home Depot's product data and is being rolled out to employee smartphones; a future upgrade will make it multilingual.
How did the customer service AI pilot perform?
The Google Cloud–based customer service system was tested in 50 stores and the voice agents proved they could understand what a customer was calling about in 10 seconds.
Why did Home Depot remove Magic Apron's professional customer version?
When Magic Apron launched, consumers liked it but professionals hated it because the system was asking pros questions that were too simplistic. Home Depot pulled the pro version offline and is fine-tuning the large language models for a better user experience for that group.

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