Вижу много бизнесов закрывается Пустые помещения.. что происходит с ритейлом и малым бизнесом в мировом масштабе?При чем здесь ИИ?@ask

In short: closing stores do not prove that it is AI that "kills" small businesses. Usually there are several factors at the same time: the transition of purchases on the Internet and on marketplaces, expensive rents and salaries, the cost of energy and loans, weak demand, as well as the advantage of large networks in procurement, logistics and advertising.

Retail is a particularly vulnerable industry for small companies. According to OECD, small and medium-sized enterprises provide about 60% of jobs in retail and about 80% in wholesale trade, but large networks are on average more productive. E-commerce gives small companies access to a wider market, but the benefits are unevenly distributed: UNCTAD. Platform fees, pay-as-you-go, algorithm dependency, refunds, and shipping costs can simply replace one expensive storefront with another.

The role of AI is now rather indirect. It helps with advertising, product descriptions, support, inventory forecasting, pricing, and analytics. In the OECD study on generative AI and small business, some companies reported compensating for skill shortages and reducing the burden on owners and employees, but this does not mean automatic job cuts. AI can reduce costs, but at the same time increase the gap between businesses that have data, a budget for promotion and the ability to quickly test new tools.

Therefore, empty premises are better interpreted as a result of the restructuring of trade: demand goes between offline, marketplaces and services, while costs and debts remain. AI can accelerate this realignment and redistribute the advantage, but it is not the only reason for closures. A physical store has a chance if it gives something that is poorly replaced by a catalog: local trust, consultation, quick service, experience, repair, community or convenient click-and-collect.

The practical conclusion for small businesses is not to “urgently replace AI people”, but to gradually automate inventory, texts, customer responses and demand analysis, while maintaining its own customer base and not giving all visibility to one marketplace. If you specify a country or city, the picture can be supplemented with local data on vacant premises, retail turnover and closures.