Gap Inc. moves towards AI-first retail with Google Cloud’s Gemini Enterprise

Gap Inc. partners with Google Cloud to integrate Gemini Enterprise AI platform across its brands, aiming to transform retail through smarter design, personalised marketing, and enhanced operational efficiency.

Gap Inc. is embarking on an ambitious multi-year partnership with Google Cloud to position itself as an AI-first retailer, integrating advanced artificial intelligence across its flagship brands including Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and Athleta. The retail giant aims to leverage Google Cloud’s newly launched Gemini Enterprise platform to drive innovation, streamline apparel design, deliver personalised marketing, and empower its workforce. According to Sven Gerjets, Chief Technology Officer at Gap Inc., “AI is redefining what’s possible in retail, and we’re building our future technology roadmap around it.” This initiative sees Gap consolidating over 200 existing AI models into the Gemini Enterprise ecosystem, aiming for a unified, scalable approach to AI-driven retail transformation.

Google introduced Gemini Enterprise as an AI-powered conversational platform designed for businesses to enable employees to interact conversationally with their company’s data, documents, and applications. The platform supports both pre-built AI agents for routine business tasks such as deep research and data analysis and allows custom AI agent development for complex workflows. Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian emphasised the platform’s comprehensive nature, highlighting its ability to integrate workflows across an entire organisation rather than functioning in isolated silos.

Gap’s venture into AI is part of a broader movement among enterprise clients adopting Gemini Enterprise. For example, Virgin Voyages, a luxury cruise line, has deployed over 50 AI agents across the business using Gemini Enterprise. Their AI agent, affectionately called “Email Ellie,” automates personalised marketing outreach, reducing time spent on campaign copy creation by 40%. The time saved has enabled their marketing team to concentrate on high-value activities like brand storytelling and new itinerary development, contributing to a reported 28% year-over-year increase in July sales. Nirmal Saverimuttu, CEO of Virgin Voyages, remarked that the partnership with Google Cloud “gives our teams back time to do what they do best — create joy, build connections and bring our brand to life.”

Food distributor Gordon Food Service has also embraced Gemini Enterprise to enhance operational efficiency. The company utilises AI agents to unify data access across various platforms such as ServiceNow and Jira, facilitating faster and more effective problem-solving. Their 12,000 employees use the platform not just for basic administrative tasks like email drafting but also to tackle complex challenges, from market strategy to content creation. Brendan Bonthuis, Chief Information Officer at Gordon Food Service, noted the platform’s ability to enable collaboration among different internal teams through interconnected AI agents, thus orchestrating multifaceted tasks seamlessly. The human resources team, for instance, uses AI to generate employee-centric content explaining benefit systems, utilising features like podcast creation.

Gemini Enterprise’s design allows businesses to harness Google’s advanced AI models securely and extend AI capabilities across a variety of workflows without requiring extensive technical expertise. According to Google Cloud’s official materials, users can deploy pre-built AI agents or customise their own, while ensuring data integration across multiple company sources. This flexibility is central to companies’ ambitions to accelerate digital transformation and improve decision-making through data-driven insights.

Beyond the initial adopters, industry partnerships such as PwC’s expanded collaboration with Google Cloud underline the broader industry momentum behind Gemini Enterprise. PwC is helping clients integrate AI responsibly and effectively across sectors, utilising the platform’s capabilities to deliver measurable business outcomes. This reinforces the growing trend of embedding AI into enterprise operations not as an ancillary tool but as a fundamental part of organisational strategy.

Gap’s investment in AI through Gemini Enterprise is a clear indication of how retailers are evolving in a digitally competitive landscape, seeking to innovate at speed while improving customer engagement and internal efficiencies. By integrating AI into product innovation, marketing personalisation, and employee workflows, Gap Inc. is aiming to reinvent retail experience and operational agility in a data-driven era.

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Source: Noah Wire Services