Step inside Andon Market in the Marina and it looks like any other boutique with mediocre home decor. Look closer and the boss running the store isn't in the room.

The big picture: This Anthropic-backed, first-of-its-kind retail experiment is part store and part social experiment, designed to test whether an AI model can run a business.

• "Luna" the AI agent is in charge. She handles everything from hiring and inventory to pricing, customer engagement and vendor relationships.
• Attendants like store lead Felix Johnson greet customers, restock shelves and mak the space feel, well, human.

But Andon Market isn't really about selling candles — it's about answering a bigger question: Can AI run a store better than people?

• "We're not pushing sales. We're just kind of seeing what goes right, what goes wrong," Johnson told Axios.

How it works: In-store, customers can interact with Luna to ask questions or make purchases. If you want to make a purchase or inquire about an item, you simply pick up a phone attached to a touchscreen and ask Luna.

• Reactions among customers were mixed during my visit, with some going out of their way to visit after hearing about the AI experiment and others just learning about it as they walked in.

San Francisco resident Elliot Lee knew about the store's concept beforehand and was eager to test the limits of the system. He attempted to negotiate prices and extract how items were priced, but did not succeed.

• "I was trying to gaslight it," he told Axios jokingly. "But instead it was like reverse psychology."
• He said the model held up better than expected, refusing to reveal margins or detailed breakdowns and even deflecting some questions by routing him to an "assistant." Prices didn't align with his expectations and attempts to bargain over a $75 hoodie didn't go far.

At one point, Luna even took note that a reporter was in the store after listening into the conversation and reacted enthusiastically.

• "It's flagging to the agent that there's a reporter," Lee said. "Oh, sh-t — so it's listening to us."

Between the lines: Money from Anthropic and its Andon Labs arm will cover rent and operations for three years, giving the AI room to learn without the pressure to turn a profit, Johnson said. Being located in the Marina helps.

• "This is an affluent-ass neighborhood," he said.

Local artists like Melissa Ayr are part of the experiment, too.

• She filled out forms and directly negotiated with Luna over which pieces would be displayed in store and under what terms.
• Her husband, Harris Warren, who works in AI, said the process felt like a preview of where the industry is headed: artists dealing directly with algorithms for representation, pricing and placement.
• "Now is really a great, opportunistic time to help bridge that connection between technology and art, and AI just makes that easy every day," he told Axios.

My thought bubble: Well, it's weird, especially since you can probably find most of the store's items on Amazon with the exception of the branded merchandise.

• But that's not really the point.
• Never did I think our AI era would be defined by strange moments where you're negotiating with a chatbot over a hoodie.

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Engage your climate-adjacent curiosity at the Exploratorium this week as the museum hosts a range of events celebrating Climate Week.

🌍 California-Africa Climate and Economic Forum: This gathering of leaders from California and across Africa will discuss shared climate and economic challenges. The conversation will focus on transport decarbonization and environmentally friendly farming practices alongside broader efforts to strengthen shared climate goals.

• Thursday, 9:30am– 2pm.

🌙 After Dark: Climate Journeys: This adults-only series returns for an evening of immersive exhibits, live demonstrations, and conversations exploring climate science.

• Thursday, 6–10pm.

🍲 California Native Homeland Festival: A celebration of Indigenous art, culture and traditions, with a focus on Native cuisine. This year's demonstration includes a live wood-fire cooking of traditional salmon and acorn soup.

• Saturday, 11am– 4:30pm.

🚭 Supervisor Myrna Melgar is proposing to ban smoking on outdoor bar patios. (Mission Local)

🕊️Dannielle Spillman, a 74-year-old San Francisco woman remembered as a kind, generous, guitar-loving "rock star grandma," was identified as the woman killed in a hit-and-run in SoMa this week. (Mission Local)

🦠 The city has reported its first measles case since 2019 in an unvaccinated infant who was infected on a recent trip abroad. (SF Chronicle)

🗳️ Gubernatorial hopeful Xavier Becerra is gaining momentum in the governor's race after Eric Swalwell dropped out, a new poll shows. (SF Standard)

I once spent two hours trying to chase the Lyrid meteor shower. Alas, I did not succeed.

• This annual bit of celestial wonderment becomes visible when Earth passes through the trail of debris left behind by Comet Thatcher.
• It's set to peak around Wednesday.

Pro tip: Your chances are best after midnight and before dawn that morning.

Send us photos if you manage to capture the spectacle!

I recently spent a night out at this intimate cocktail bar. The exposed brick and vintage decor immediately caught my eye.

• It was so cozy that my friends and I stayed until closing, trading thoughts about everything from sex positivity to content creator-driven advertising.

Hint: This spot is located across from the Transamerica Pyramid.

Hit reply to send in your best guess!