Description

In this episode of The Retail Tales, host Saurabh Vijayvergia takes a critical look at MIT's latest report on GenAI - “The State of AI in Business 2025”. The headlines from this report grabbed attention with claims like “95% of GenAI pilots are failing,” and many major outlets repeated it. But what does the report actually say?

Saurabh unpacks the findings in detail and explains why the “failure” narrative is misleading. Instead of proving that generative AI is collapsing, the report highlights the challenges companies face moving from pilots to scaled value realization. That is not failure; it is the natural trajectory of disruptive technology adoption.

If you are interested in reading the report yourself, download it here.

This episode covers:

• Why the headline and the data tell two very different stories
• How retailers like Walmart, Kroger, and Target are already scaling GenAI in supply chain, pricing, and customer experience areas
• What the report says about buy-vs-build strategies, and why vendor partnerships often deliver better outcomes than custom builds
• Why governance, ROI clarity, and customer focus matter more than experimentation
• What retail executives should prioritize today to avoid being left behind in five years

If you are a retail leader, you should know that the report is not spelling doom. And this episodes dives deeper into what this report means for Retail. This report is about clarity, maturity, and evolution.

Tune in to separate hype from reality and understand what it means for the future of retail.

Listen now on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

DISCLAIMER: The information presented in this podcast episode is intended for general informational purposes only. By accessing and listening to this episode, you acknowledge that none of the information provided herein should be construed as advice from The Retail Tales, its individual author(s), hosts, or guests. It is not intended to replace independent research on any subject matter. Any mention of specific products or entities does not imply an endorsement or recommendation by The Retail Tales. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and their appearance on the program does not constitute an endorsement by The Retail Tales or any associated entity. The host may have taken creative liberties to make the stories and experiences more appealing to the listeners.

The Retail Tales waives all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or other damages that may result from an individual's use of, reference to, or reliance on this podcast or the information it contains.