Michaels slammed by customers after major retail change is dubbed 'the literal antithesis of art'

Arts and crafts giant Michaels is betting artificial intelligence will become every crafter's new best friend - but not everyone is buying it.

The Texas-headquartered chain, which was founded in 1973, has unveiled 'Ask Mike' - an AI-powered shopping assistant designed to help customers find products, brainstorm creative ideas and plan projects through a conversational chatbot.

Built using Google Cloud's Gemini Enterprise technology, the new tool is now live on Michaels.com and allows shoppers to ask questions in plain English rather than relying on traditional keyword searches.

Customers can ask everything from 'Help me plan my child's birthday party' to 'I need a fabric for DIY curtains,' with the AI generating personalized product recommendations and creative inspiration.

But while Michaels is touting the technology as the future of craft shopping, many artists and longtime customers have reacted with skepticism - and outright hostility.

On Reddit, users blasted the retailer for embracing artificial intelligence at a company built around creativity.

One commenter wrote: 'There's no room for A.I. in an arts and crafts business.'

Another added: 'It is the literal antithesis of art.'

The criticism comes after one Michaels employee tested the chatbot by asking it a simple product question about cotton duck fabric.

Instead of providing an answer, the AI responded: 'I'm sorry, am having technical difficulties and can't help with this request right now. Please try again later.'

The employee sarcastically captioned the post: 'Thanks. Very helpful.'

The thread quickly attracted dozens of comments from current and former employees.

One former worker explained that the chatbot may struggle because Michaels' inventory systems aren't fully standardized.

They wrote: 'Believe it or not - the system that holds master weights and measurements are not standardized nor recorded. It doesn't matter if it was scanned, the data is only local to the distribution center.'

Others were less forgiving.

One joked: 'The people who raided the Michaels public support chat six years ago would've been more useful than this.'

Another quipped: 'That's a big word for Elmo.'

One employee also claimed the AI couldn't even retrieve internal IT requests.

They wrote: 'I was trying to find all my submitted IT tickets… I click the button… Ask Mike: Sorry there are no results.'

Despite the online criticism, Michaels says early results have been encouraging.

According to the retailer, the AI assistant has already generated nearly 75,000 customer conversations since launching in May, with more than 60 percent focused on helping shoppers discover products across its online catalogue.

Heather Bennett, president and chief customer officer at Michaels, said the chatbot is designed to make online shopping feel more like talking to an expert in-store.

'In just a few weeks, Ask Mike has fueled nearly 75,000 conversations, with our community using the tool for everything from party planning to finding the right materials for their first punch-needle pillow,' she said.

'As the destination for creating and celebrating, we're committed to meeting our customers exactly where they are. Ask Mike is more than just a search tool; it's a personalized creative partner for our customers so they can find what they need to bring their unique visions to life.'

Google Cloud, which partnered with Michaels on the project, described the launch as an example of how quickly retailers are embracing AI.

Paul Tepfenhart, Global Director of Retail Industry Strategy & Solutions at Google Cloud, said Michaels developed the production-ready chatbot in just six weeks.

'Michaels is showing what it looks like to put AI at the center of the shopping experience - not just as a service tool, but as a true driver of discovery and conversion,' he said.

The retailer says Ask Mike is only the beginning. Future updates are expected to include AI-generated product summaries and contextual prompts that appear directly on product pages to help customers make purchasing decisions.

The move reflects a wider retail trend, with companies increasingly deploying AI-powered assistants to improve customer service, answer product questions and drive online sales.

Major retailers including Walmart, Amazon, Home Depot and Lowe's have all rolled out generative AI shopping tools over the past year as businesses race to integrate artificial intelligence into the customer experience.

For Michaels, however, the rollout has highlighted a challenge facing many retailers experimenting with AI: convincing customers that technology can complement creativity rather than replace it.