Open source has quickly become the foundation of many retail AI systems, giving teams the flexibility to adapt models to their data and use cases while maintaining strong governance. Open, interoperable ecosystems also make it easier to plug AI into existing tools and workflows, helping retailers rapidly scale innovation.
“Most retailers first started experimenting with AI using proprietary AI vendors,” said Jason Goldberg, chief commerce strategy officer of Publicis Groupe. “They had the models, but they didn’t own the keys to their own kingdom. Open source flips that script, allowing retailers to leverage their proprietary data, avoid vendor lock-in and benefit from open-source community innovation.”
With 91% of respondents saying their companies are either actively using or assessing AI, the competitive question in retail and CPG has shifted from whether or not to invest in AI, to how to most effectively deploy and scale AI.
Across the industry, the business impact of AI has been tangible and significant. When asked how AI has improved their business, 54% cited improved employee productivity; 52% said AI has helped to create operational efficiencies; and 41% reported improved customer service.
As stated above, 89% of respondents said AI has helped to increase revenue. For many companies, that increase has been significant, with 30% stating revenue has increased by more than 10%. The story is the same for AI’s role in helping to decrease annual costs, with 95% agreeing AI has reduced costs and 37% saying costs have been reduced by more than 10%.
“What executives should be focused on is not green-lighting vanity projects at the expense of high-ROI wins,” said Chris Walton, co-CEO of Omni Talk. “The retailers who will succeed will start with boring use cases that solve specific P&L problems, prove the value, then scale.”
AI investment, including infrastructure, hiring AI experts and software, will increase next year, according to nine out of 10 survey respondents. And half of respondents said the increase could be significant, with budgets increasing 10% or more year over year.
The retail and CPG industry is piloting AI agents across lines of business.
Key considerations
- Investor positioning can change fast
- Volatility remains possible near catalysts
- Macro rates and liquidity can dominate flows
Reference reading
- https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/ai-in-retail-cpg-survey-2026/#content
- https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/
- https://blogs.nvidia.com/?s=
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Informational only. No financial advice. Do your own research.