In this episode of The Natural List, co-hosts Adrienne Smith and Jessica Rubino welcome New Hope’s Senior Retail Reporter, Doug Brown, to the show. Doug’s weekly column, Shelf Life, is published every Friday on newhope.com and his recent features involve his foray into the world of grocery shopping with the help of AI. Doug, who is fascinated by the utility of these chatbots, tells Jessica and Adrienne that it was “over the top helpful” with his weekly shopping, for everything from olive oil to supplements. Jessica and Adrienne then pose thoughtful questions: could brands pay to get promoted by AI? Will AI detract from human interactions in the grocery? The takeaway: AI is a tool, not a panacea– retailers and brands, take note.

The trio then shifts gears and wrap up with a roundup of some of the products they are loving this week, including Organic India Psyllium Pre & Probiotic Fiber, Clover Sonoma Pasture Raised Greek Yogurt, Bellwether Farms Yogurt, Ultima 6 Essential Electrolytes, Republic of Tea Regenerative Organic Certified Black Iced Tea and Peggs Plant Based Egg Substitute. Do you have a product The Natural List should consider sampling? Reach out to us at [email protected].

Check out our vodcast on YouTube.