When AI takes the helm: Belgian webshop operates completely autonomously

A first in Belgium: an online store run entirely by artificial intelligence, without any human intervention. The “Is This Real? ” project designs and prints T-shirts, but does so completely autonomously: from product design to marketing and sales, AI makes all the decisions.

Online store without any people

The Is This Real? online store sells print-on-demand T-shirts, with each design generated daily by AI based on the latest news. Each design is available for only 24 hours, after which it disappears. However, AI doesn’t just determine the product and the design, but also how it’s positioned and promoted. The system also chooses the marketing strategy, launches campaigns via AI avatars, and sends automated newsletters.

To the consumer, it looks like a regular online purchase, but behind the scenes, no human decisions are made. “What looks like a simple web shop is, in reality, an ecosystem of AI systems working together,” says Studio Fledge, the tech partner behind the project. All proceeds go to Awel, a helpline for children and young people.

An experiment with a message

The project is first and foremost an experiment. “With NXTGN, we’re trying to look beyond the hype surrounding AI and understand what’s really changing,” says Pieter De Buysser, founder of NXTGN. “Is This Real? is our way of exploring the technological and strategic boundaries of AI automation, while also sparking debate about those boundaries.”

The central question is: what does it mean if AI can run an entire company? How do entrepreneurs decide what to automate and what not to? “This is just the beginning. AI can already do much more today than people realize,” say the initiators. “So the question isn’t just what AI can automate, but also what we as a company consciously want to keep human.”