At the Grassfish Summit 2025, Oscar Nöjd, Head of Nordic Sales Innovation at Samsung, captivated the audience with a keynote that blurred the lines between intelligent tech and intuitive human experiences.

We sat down with him afterwards to go deeper into how AI, smart devices and ecosystem thinking are transforming the way we live, shop, and connect.

Oscar, at the Grassfish Summit you talked about “responsible innovation” as a design principle. What does that mean in practice?

I think many of us are overwhelmed by the pace of technology, but innovation doesn’t mean complexity. At Samsung, we’re focused on how AI can assist in the background, enabling better decisions and smoother moments for users, without them needing to understand the tech.

In short, we have made all your most used features of your most used tech device even simpler with AI. For example summarizing text, live translations, searching and the entire process from capturing to editing and sharing photos.

Samsung is clearly investing heavily in AI across its ecosystem. How do you see this influencing consumer expectations and retail strategy?

AI has shifted the baseline. People now expect personalisation, not as a premium, but as a default. It’s no longer about “wow” moments. It’s about consistency with context. This applies just as much in stores as it does online.

From Call Assist to AI-powered summaries, the magic is in relevance. And retailers that don’t integrate AI into their customer journeys, especially in-store, will feel increasingly outdated.

From your perspective, what’s next for smart homes and connected living?

The smart home will shift from being “device-centric” to “context-centric.” That means AI systems will understand your routines, preferences, and even moods. Imagine walking into your home and everything, lighting, screens, heating, adapts without needing prompts. But this also introduces a new challenge: trust. Consumers must feel in control. So, privacy, transparency and fairness will be make-or-break factors.

For us, trust means giving people true control. We believe users should always feel confident that they’re in charge of their data, whether using AI features or connecting across our ecosystem. That’s why we design our AI and smart devices with privacy and security built in from the start, like Samsung Knox, so you always have control and transparency over how your data is used.

At Grassfish, we talk a lot about “Experience Difference”. What’s your take on how tech can elevate in-store experiences?

I love that phrase. In-store, we’re seeing a renaissance. People want tactile, human experiences, but enhanced by tech. Think IXM meets Galaxy AI: imagine a retail environment where your phone recognises the store layout, your preferences, and even what you’ve browsed online.

The screen at the shelf isn’t just passive signage; it adapts to you. That’s the future we’re building toward.

It’s about amplifying the physical through digital intelligence.

You also emphasised ecosystem thinking. Why is that so important now?

No single company can own the entire experience anymore. Consumers move fluidly across devices, platforms, and touchpoints. That’s why partnerships are key, like how Samsung Wallet offers a new way for banks to interact with customers, or how AI features scale across apps and devices.

It’s also why I’m such a fan of what Grassfish does, you’re not just delivering an IXM Platform, you’re orchestrating ecosystems inside physical environments. That’s the future!

Finally, if you could give retailers one piece of advice for staying relevant in the AI age, what would it be?

Don’t chase features – chase value. Ask: how does this improve someone’s life, even in a small way? AI is a tool. Human experience is the goal.

The brands that win will be the ones that design with empathy, execute with precision, and partner boldly. And, in the words of Kendrick, “be humble” and learn from your customers and partners.

Oscar’s perspective perfectly aligns with the Grassfish mission: to empower every global brand to create exceptional retail, where strategy meets execution and innovation enhances, rather than overwhelms, the human experience.

As retail evolves, the intersection of intelligent platforms like IXM and empathic AI, such as Galaxy AI, will redefine what customer-centricity truly means.