Miqdad Jaffer brings a background in engineering to his role as director of product for digital marketplace platform Shopify. Users might recognize the commerce platform as one that enables a fast and secure online checkout experience. On the merchant side, Shopify enables business owners to set up e-commerce sites where they can list and sell their products.

 Using generative AI, the platform also now offers merchants the ability to complete administrative tasks much more quickly, including writing product descriptions and customizing their sites. As Miqdad explains, a key to enhancing Shopify’s offerings with generative AI technology is ensuring that users always remain in control. He shares Shopify’s approach to doing this while incorporating cutting-edge tools to help entrepreneurs start, operate, and grow their businesses more efficiently. Read the episode transcript here.

Guest bio:

Miqdad Jaffer is the director of product for Shopify, where he is responsible for the oversight and development of the company’s AI-powered offerings. He joined the company in 2018 and has overseen the launch of Shopify Magic, its suite of AI-powered tools, and Shop.AI, an AI-powered shopping assistant. Before joining Shopify, Jaffer was the director of product management for the mobile consumer marketplace app Flipp. He has more than 15 years of product development and oversight experience.

Me, Myself, and AI is a collaborative podcast from MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group and is hosted by Sam Ransbotham and Shervin Khodabandeh. Our engineer is David Lishansky, and the coordinating producers are Allison Ryder and Sophie Rüdinger.

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