96 % of retail leaders think they're ready for AI. 49 % actually are

96% of retail leaders think they're ready for AI.
49% actually are.
Publicis Sapient published this in its Guide to Next 2026 report. And when I read it, I wasn't surprised. What hurt was that I wasn't surprised — because I've seen it up close for decades.
There's something very human about that gap. It's not malice. It's not ignorance either. It's just that it's a lot easier to believe you're ready than to face the evidence that you're not.

• That the data you have is inconsistent.
• That your systems and departments don't talk to each other.
• That the AI you bought can't work properly because nobody cleaned up the database before installing it.

I lived it from the inside for almost 30 years making decisions in retail. And today I'm still seeing it from a startup — just from the other side of the table now.
Conviction is everywhere.
Evidence, not so much.
And until that gap gets named, it can't be closed. And as long as people keep not acknowledging it, it's going to be slower to fix.

Which side is your organization on?

PS: As for what being ready for AI actually means as a manager, that's for another post.