In this episode of Flock Talk, I sit down with Professor Wei Chen—award-winning academic and Director of the UConn Digital Frontiers Initiative (DFI)—to explore how generative AI is transforming today’s e-commerce environment. From streamlining complex processes like Amazon Brand Registry to building intelligent systems that learn and adapt over time, we dig into practical, forward-thinking applications of AI that can help your business operate smarter and faster.Whether you’re a small business exploring AI for the first time or a larger enterprise scaling your digital operations, this episode covers essential strategies and technologies that will shape how you use AI—from retrieval-augmented generation to building secure, cost-effective infrastructure.Episode Timeline & Highlights[0:00] – Introduction[0:44] – Meet Professor Wei Chen: His work with UConn and the Digital Frontiers Initiative[2:51] – Tackling the complexity of Amazon Brand Registry with AI[4:47] – Embedding years of brand experience into scalable, intelligent systems[7:28] – How AI adapts to evolving platforms and regulatory environments[10:31] – Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG): What it is and why it matters[13:34] – How enterprise AI solutions handle security and data protection[17:41] – Choosing the right AI model: Weighing performance, speed, and cost[21:29] – When companies should consider building internal AI infrastructure[26:02] – The value of digitizing and documenting internal knowledge[28:04] – The 3-stage adoption model: Exploration, experimentation, and production[33:09] – Creating feedback loops for continual AI improvement[36:06] – Using AI to transform business intelligence dashboards and reporting5 Key Takeaways 1. AI thrives in complexity: Generative AI can process thousands of pages of documentation to simplify systems like Amazon Brand Registry, enabling even junior employees to operate at an expert level. 2. RAG is a game-changer: Retrieval-Augmented Generation allows businesses to integrate their proprietary documents into AI systems, ensuring contextually relevant and up-to-date responses. 3. Security is scalable: From masking sensitive data in prompts to using enterprise-grade or on-premise models, there are multiple layers of protection depending on business needs. 4. Cost vs. capability: Companies should start with high-performing AI models, then evaluate cost-effective alternatives for production—especially when usage exceeds a few hundred dollars per day. 5. AI adoption is a journey: Start with exploration and experimentation before scaling. Documenting internal processes is crucial to building reliable AI-powered systems that improve over time.Links & Resources • Amazon Brand Registry: https://brandservices.amazon.com • AI Tools Referenced: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Microsoft Azure OpenAI, Tableau, Power BIIf you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to follow, rate, and review Flock Talk. Sharing the show helps other e-commerce professionals discover valuable insights to stay ahead of the curve. Thanks for tuning in—see you next time!

Ver todos los episodios