Thanks to how-to help from YouTube, TikTok, and now AI chatbots, a DIY home-improvement project is easier than ever. If you ask Seemantini Godbole, however, “do it yourself” doesn’t mean “do it alone.” When customers visit their local Lowe’s store, she wants them to find not only tools and supplies to complete projects, but also expert help that makes those projects easier. “My job is to take all the friction out of home improvement and make our associates look like superheroes,” she says.
When Godbole joined Lowe’s as chief information and AI officer in January, she took ownership of Mylow and Mylow Companion, the company’s year-old AI assistants for customers and associates, respectively. Using the latter—which supports text-, voice-, and even photo-based inquiries—more than 300,000 Lowe’s associates can ask questions about all manner of products and projects and promptly get answers to help customers. Says Godbole, “Whenever we release a functionality, it has to be in service of our customers, but also our associates.”