What: Despite broad belief in AI’s potential, most corporate communications teams lag in adoption, with only a minority achieving meaningful integration and productivity gains.

Why it is important: The divide between leaders and laggards in AI adoption reflects a wider trend in retail, emphasising the importance of robust governance and targeted investment for sustainable growth.

A significant disconnect is emerging between CEOs, who are rapidly advancing AI initiatives, and CCOs, who largely view their functions as lagging in AI adoption. While over 70% of CEOs now see themselves as primary decision-makers for AI and recognise its critical importance to their roles, 68% of CCOs admit their teams are behind, citing operating model challenges, limited budgets, and weak AI skills as primary barriers. BCG research indicates that corporate affairs and communications functions could realise productivity gains of up to 47% at the process level. Yet, most teams are not capturing even basic task-level improvements. Only a small group of leading CCOs is making substantial progress by investing in upskilling and integrating AI deeply into workflows. These leaders are more likely to allocate significant budget to AI, demonstrate its value to leadership, and prepare their teams for evolving roles. The article underscores that without deliberate investment in talent and operating models, lagging teams risk losing credibility and influence. At the same time, those who act decisively are poised to set new standards for productivity and innovation.

IADS Notes: The disconnect between CEOs and CCOs in AI adoption, as highlighted in the article, closely reflects the ongoing challenges faced by the retail sector. BCG’s mid-2025 analysis found that while AI usage is widespread among retail employees, only a small proportion of organisations have managed to scale these initiatives beyond pilot phases. This observation is echoed in Harvard Business Review and Forbes reports from late 2025 and early 2026, which attribute the slow progress to organisational barriers, leadership misalignment, and insufficient workforce upskilling. Meanwhile, Journal du Net’s coverage in July 2025 demonstrates that agentic AI is already delivering significant improvements in service efficiency and processing times for retailers who have invested in robust governance and human-centric implementation. As BCG noted again in early 2026, those retailers who pair technological innovation with strong leadership and comprehensive talent development are redefining productivity and customer experience, setting a new benchmark for sustainable growth in the industry.

Corporate comms is playing catch up on AI