Salling Group teams with Google to pilot AI‑driven shopping assistant

In early July 2026 three leading AI developers released new agent‑type models that can browse the web, use terminals and complete multi‑step tasks without further user input. Anthropic launched Claude Sonnet 5, Google rolled out Gemini 3.5 Pro and OpenAI introduced GPT‑5.6 with coordinated sub‑agents. A Danish survey showed 45 % of residents had used AI for online shopping in the past six months.

Salling Group announced a partnership with Google Cloud to test an AI‑powered commerce experience using Google’s Gemini assistant. Starting in autumn 2026, the retailer’s BR chain will let customers describe product needs in natural language, receive suggestions and, in later phases, complete checkout directly within the chat. Initial searches will still redirect users to BR’s website for payment, but the goal is full transaction integration via a payment partner. The collaboration aims to shorten the path from inspiration to purchase and showcase "agentic commerce" in categories such as toys.

Both initiatives illustrate how AI agents are moving from experimental tools to consumer‑facing services, with Danish companies among the early adopters.