By Stephanie Caite Chadwick
Publication Date: 2025-11-21 05:37:00
The Australian retail sector is at a pivotal moment in adopting artificial intelligence: most leading brands are vying to pilot generative AI initiatives, but a significant proportion remain hesitant, leading to warnings from risk leaders that they are falling behind the competition. A new report, “Turning Hesitation Into Action: How Risk Leaders Can Unlock AI’s Potential,” published by the Governance Institute of Australia in collaboration with Cisco, shows that risk management hesitancy is a twin cause
Barrier and an opportunity that is now shaping the future of AI in retail. The Promise of AI vs. Organizational Paralysis Despite the rapid development of generative AI and strong growth in pilot programs, the industry is far from uniform in its adoption of the technology. According to the report, as of November 2025, 17 percent of retailers in Australia said they had no plans at all to use AI – a figure that shows how caution and “paralysis” are impacting decision-making. While a…
