According to Gartner Inc. global spending on AI is pegged to reach $2.7 trillion this year, which is a 49.5 percent increase year-over-year. The research firm said in a report that the bulk of these investments will be in AI infrastructure, software and services. The firm also cited retail and consumer goods as a key market for these investments.
For fashion apparel, the deployment of AI cuts across the entire value chain—from product development and sourcing to inventory management and marketing. According to a white paper from French technology firm Lectra released this week, AI is transforming the industry and has crossed a “critical threshold.”
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“Many fashion companies have already adopted AI tools, but being early is not the same as being ready,” the report’s authors said. “As AI becomes capable of autonomous, multi-step work, competitive advantage will depend less on access to AI and more on the organizational readiness required to deploy it effectively. This shift comes at a time when fashion leaders are facing volatile demand, supply chain uncertainty, intensifying competition, regulatory requirements and rapidly changing consumer behavior.”
The report noted that despite the sweeping implications impacting AI deployment, many fashion brands “still view AI primarily as a productivity tool rather than a force that could fundamentally reshape how products are designed, manufactured, marketed and managed.”
The focus of fashion apparel leaders on productivity is also shared across other industries and sectors.
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