Robots and Reach - AI is coming to the consumer frontline
AI is rapidly moving from experimental novelty to operational reality. Whether navigating city streets or shaping consumer behaviour, businesses are embedding AI into core functions, raising fresh questions about regulation and accountability under UK law.
Autonomous Couriers
Just Eat UK is working with nine independent restaurants to trial four-legged delivery robots capable of climbing stairs in Milton Keynes and Bristol. Developed by RIVR, these AI-powered machines follow nearly 1,000 successful autonomous deliveries in Switzerland. The ambition is clear: practical, scalable autonomous delivery integrated seamlessly into urban life.
The expansion of autonomous delivery raises regulatory considerations. The Automated Vehicles Act 2024 establishes a framework for self-driving vehicles on roads, but pavement-based delivery robots occupy a grey area between pedestrian infrastructure and automated transport. Questions of liability - particularly where AI navigation causes injury or property damage - remain unclear. Would the operator be strictly liable for any damage or would any claimant have to show a breach of duty of care? If the latter, how is this to be assessed?
AI-Powered Persuasion
Across the Atlantic, Coca-Cola is pivoting its growth strategy from price increases to AI-driven marketing. The company is deploying generative AI tools to draft advertising scripts, generate images, and adjust campaigns across multiple markets. This reflects broader industry trends: McKinsey's 2024 survey found approximately one third of organisations already use generative AI in at least one business function, with marketing among the most common.
This "persuasion at scale" approach may have implications for advertising regulation and consumer protection. In the UK, companies are prohibited from participating in misleading commercial practices and the ASA's CAP Code requires that marketing communications be obviously identifiable as such. As AI-generated content proliferates, regulators may scrutinise whether automated personalisation crosses the line into manipulation - particularly where algorithms have the potential to target vulnerable consumers. Moreover, where AI targeted marketing is predicated on information related to specific users, this may engage data protection issues.
The Future of Marketing and Delivery?
Both developments signal AI's migration from back-office efficiency tool to customer-facing competitive advantage. Observers will be watching closely the success or failure of these strategies.
We anticipate seeing a rise in the number of businesses deploying similar and competing strategies. Companies adopting consumer-facing AI should anticipate increased regulatory scrutiny and proactively evaluate safety and transparency risks.
