Professor Khern-am-nuai awarded 2021 NSERC Discovery Grant

Warut Khern-am-nuai, Assistant Professor of Information Systems, awarded 2021 NSERC Discovery Grant

“Helping Retail Industry Navigate the Post-Pandemic World with Artificial Intelligence”

The retail industry has significantly suffered from the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic. The overarching goal of this research program is to assist the retail industry to navigate the “new normal” of the post-pandemic world by using AI models.

First, we propose an AI model that handle scenarios where the training data consists of multiple subsets, and the nature of different subsets is vastly different. Second, we develop an AI model that leverages both internal and external data to identify panic-buying behavior so appropriate rationing and fulfillment policies can be put in place to enhance the distribution of essential supplies. Third, we construct an AI model that can identify the change in demand transference.

These models contribute to scientific conversations on how AI can augment business operations. Results from the actual implementations will also contribute to the discussion on the viability, sustainability, and value of AI in the business contexts.

We acknowledge the support of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

Nous remercions le Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada (CRSNG) de son soutien.