The rise of fast retail delivery and the limits of AI

Retailers are increasingly relying on fast delivery, a trend that has expanded from food to general goods. In 2025, Sam’s Club launched one-hour delivery across 600 stores, processing 65,000 orders in weeks. Meanwhile, Uber Eats began collecting retail returns, signaling a shift toward faster service. However, these metrics may become outdated by 2027, yet the demand for speed remains. The underlying technology involves AI agents making thousands of decisions hourly, yet Gartner notes only 130 legitimate vendors exist among thousands, with over 40% of projects likely to fail by year-end. Experts warn against 'agent washing,' where chatbots are falsely labeled as AI, and full-autonomy claims that could lead to missed deliveries. Instead, autonomy should be earned through trust and evidence, not installed. Despite AI improvements, two areas will still require human oversight: physical delivery and accountability. Software can optimize, but decisions on goals and customer needs remain human responsibilities. As AI integrates further, retailers must ensure it earns its role through operational data, not vendor demos.