At ECR iN MOTiON 2026 in Bonn, the technology company shows how manufacturers protect their brands against false information and bring their released product knowledge consistently to the point of sale with the AI advisor pluggy. plugilo is currently working on a proof of concept with GTIN-based manufacturer data.
Starnberg, Germany, September 2026. plugilo introduces the Trusted AI Advisory Alliance at ECR iN MOTiON in Bonn on September 16 and 17, 2026. The cross-industry association initiated by plugilo addresses brands, manufacturers, retailers, publishers, and other data owners. Its goal is to protect brands against false information in the AI era: companies retain control over their original knowledge and make it available for trustworthy AI advisory, wherever customers seek information and make decisions. At the GS1 Germany convention, plugilo demonstrates how unambiguous product identification, verified manufacturer data, and the AI advisor pluggy work together.
The Strategy: Original Knowledge Under the Control of Its Owners
Today, AI systems explain products, compare performance, and prepare purchasing decisions. Their answers are largely assembled from a web of copies: product information is taken over many times across the internet, shortened, translated, and left without updates for years, usually without source, date, or responsibility. Customers can hardly tell which details come from the manufacturer and are still valid. Brands, in turn, lose influence over the information with which their products are explained and recommended, precisely at the point where decisions are made.
The Trusted AI Advisory Alliance creates a shared foundation for this. Its principles: data remains under the control of its owners, every piece of information carries its provenance, releases can be revoked at any time, and partners share fairly in the value created. plugilo is the initiator of the Alliance and the provider of the technical infrastructure. The association is designed to be global and cross-industry, from IT through home appliances, kitchens, and furniture to consumer goods.
| “The owners decide which knowledge they release, and they make sure that false copies no longer spread. plugilo provides the infrastructure and the tools. Whoever owns the original should be represented in the AI world by the original.” Michael Mohr, Founder & CEO, plugilo |
For manufacturers, the approach combines brand protection with tangible sales benefits: they activate their knowledge once, use it on their own website, and release it to distributors, resellers, and other partners. These partners add their assortment and context to the advisory and gain, with pluggy, a digital advisor that explains on-brand and supports the sale.
Information about brands and products thus remains consistent across all sales channels and partner networks, even in hybrid and complex sales scenarios involving distribution, specialist retail, online shops, and marketplaces. Publishers, trade portals, and communities open up additional audiences and share, through agreed remuneration, in the referrals that originate with them.
The Solution From the User's Perspective: From Product to Advice
The technical foundation is formed by Master Data Cards: structured units of information controlled by the data owner. A product Card bundles attributes, variants, images, manuals, certificates, and complementary brand knowledge. For people it is clearly presented; for AI systems it is structured and directly usable. The Card remains permanently connected to its original source: when the manufacturer changes its data, the change is carried into all connected Cards. Advisory therefore always works with the brand's currently maintained knowledge.
[Figure 1: Master Data Card of a product with cover, details, and specifications]
On this basis, pluggy advises. The digital advisor combines three perspectives: the brand's released knowledge, such as product data, manuals, and answers to frequent questions; the context of the respective retail partner with its assortment and offers; and the customer's concrete needs as they emerge from their questions. pluggy thus supports product selection and purchasing decisions and also answers questions about use and service.
In everyday life, this begins with scanning the GS1 barcode in the store or asking a question in the online shop: Which ingredients does a food product contain? Is a device compatible with existing accessories? How is a product used correctly? pluggy answers from the released information and cites the source. If information is missing, pluggy makes this visible instead of inventing it. Access is provided through embedded website functions (plug-it), the plugilo app, or the browser extension on supported product pages.
[Figure 2: pluggy answers a customer question directly in the Card]
Products and recommendations can be saved as Cards and bundled into thematic collections, the Stacks. In the plugilo app, customers can find them again at any time, beyond individual shops and the first advisory contact. The personal Wallet thus becomes the central place for products and knowledge from all connected sources. The connection to brand and retail partner remains: for updates, further questions, and later purchasing decisions. A fleeting click becomes a lasting customer relationship.
[Figure 3: Cards and Stacks in the Wallet of the plugilo app]
GTIN-Based Data as the Foundation
plugilo is currently working on a proof of concept. It is meant to show how manufacturer data unambiguously identified by the GTIN can be transferred into Master Data Cards and used for advisory by pluggy. Advisory therefore relies on data that comes directly from the manufacturer. The entire journey is examined: from product identification through the transfer of released data to a traceable answer to a customer question. The released manufacturer version always remains the authoritative source. The goal is a repeatable process that can be transferred to further products and brands.
plugilo at ECR iN MOTiON 2026
ECR iN MOTiON by GS1 Germany takes place on September 16 and 17, 2026, at the World Conference Center Bonn and brings together the consumer goods industry, retail, and service providers. plugilo is present as an exhibitor (booth 42) and with a presentation. At the booth, the company shows the path from manufacturer data to AI advisory and provides information on participating in the Trusted AI Advisory Alliance.
Michael Mohr, Founder & CEO of plugilo Inc., speaks on September 17, 2026, from 2:35 to 2:55 p.m. in MOTiON STUDIO 6 on “Master Data Meets AI: How Original Knowledge Becomes Better Advice”.
Companies can register for the Trusted AI Advisory Alliance at https://corporate.plugilo.com/contact. Joining as an observer is free of charge and non-binding. Participants can then review their prepared data profile, activate their own knowledge, and help shape the development of the network.
| “The more owners the Alliance represents, the better it can assert their influence in the AI world. The benefit begins with the very first partner and grows with each additional one.” Michael Mohr, Founder & CEO, plugilo |
About plugilo
plugilo develops the Trusted AI Advisory Network: an open infrastructure with which manufacturers, brands, and other data owners provide their official product and company knowledge as structured, owner-controlled Cards, Master Data Cards, and Stacks for people and AI systems. The plug-it connector brings this knowledge to websites, shops, portals, and media. pluggy, the Trusted AI Advisory Agent, makes it usable for trustworthy advice. The plugilo app bundles it for customers in a personal Wallet. Manufacturers bring the original knowledge, partners bring reach, users bring demand. plugilo connects them into a network for trustworthy decisions.
plugilo is an independent company that emerged from DCI, founded in 1993, which has been structuring product and market data and connecting data sources for more than three decades. The group comprises DCI AG, ContentFactory1 GmbH, and plugilo Inc., with teams in Europe, the USA, and Asia. More than six million prepared data records on products, companies, and content form the foundation of the network. plugilo is the initiator of the Trusted AI Advisory Alliance. Further information: corporate.plugilo.com