Online shopping still asks people to imagine too much. At WAIC 2026 in Shanghai, SPREEAI was selected as one of only five startups globally to show what a more confident experience could feel like. What followed was less a demonstration of AI than a conversation about how retail can become more human.
At WAIC 2026, the question was confidence
Choice has never been the problem.
A shopper can open dozens of tabs, compare careful product photography and study a size chart. They can still reach checkout without knowing how a garment will feel on their body or work with the rest of their wardrobe.
That distance between seeing and knowing has shaped online fashion for years. Images can show cut and color. Measurements can offer direction. Neither can answer the personal question at the center of the decision: What will this look like on me?
At WAIC, that tension surfaced in conversations with consumers, retailers, partners, investors and technology leaders. They were not asking for AI as spectacle. They were asking whether it could make a difficult decision feel clearer.
That is why SPREEAI’s selection among five global winners mattered. The recognition was not only a signal about the technology. It was a signal about the problem. Confidence is becoming central to commerce.
Only three teammates traveled to Shanghai. The work behind them came from an entire company across engineering, product, design, partnerships, marketing and operations. Every demonstration carried that collective effort into the room.
Across the week, the most useful questions stayed close to real behavior. How can someone compare two looks without losing context? How can they understand an outfit, not just one garment? How can they feel certain enough to choose?
The answers begin with a better view of the shopper.
What changes when shoppers can see themselves
SPREEAI begins with a simple choice. A shopper can use their own photo or select a digital twin that closely resembles them.
From there, the decision becomes visible. They can try on a garment, build a complete outfit, compare looks side by side and see them from different angles.
The point is not the number of tools. It is the distance they remove between interest and confidence.
For shoppers, that means less guesswork and more room for discovery. A person can explore a new silhouette, color or combination because they can understand it before committing.
For brands and retailers, the same clarity creates a better customer journey. It helps inspiration move into consideration without asking the customer to leave the moment or rely on imagination alone.
At WAIC, people understood that quickly. The response crossed languages, markets and categories. Once the experience became personal, the technology moved into the background.
That was the clearest lesson of the week. AI earns its place in retail when the shopper notices the confidence, not the machinery.
The future of AI retail is more human
WAIC made the scale of the shift impossible to miss. People from different industries and markets were asking a similar question: What happens when AI moves from demonstration to everyday behavior?
Retail will not become more human because it uses more technology. It will become more human when technology helps people understand themselves, make a decision and move on with confidence.
For SPREEAI, Shanghai was both a milestone and a test. The selection opened a global stage. The conversations confirmed that the idea travels.
The three-person on-site team represented a much larger company. Every conversation depended on people who trained the models, shaped the product, refined the experience, built relationships, created the story and kept the operation moving.
That is what made the week meaningful. A small group stood at the booth. A much larger team stood behind the work.
We returned with new relationships, sharper questions and a clearer view of the road ahead. We also returned grateful to WAIC and StartupX for creating the opportunity.
SPREEAI is no longer building toward a global future from a distance. We are already stepping into it.
Links & Credits
Internal links
Sources and credits
- StartupX Top 5 winners announcement
- SPREEAI WAIC 2026 selection announcement
- WAIC 2026 event overview
- WAIC FUTURE TECH program
Event and program credit: WAIC — World Artificial Intelligence Conference and StartupX.
On-site representation: Banu Jafarli, Erin Hill and John Imah.
Company contributors: Engineering, product, design, partnerships, marketing and operations.
Asset credit: SPREEAI internal event photography, footage and approved product captures.
