Technological advancements and changes in consumer behavior following the COVID-19 outbreak have required retailers to accelerate their digital transformation in order to deliver differentiated consumer experiences and interactions, including through AI-driven solutions. Nevertheless, the AI adoption rate remains significantly low across the EU, with the European wholesale and retail trade sector ranks third to last, with only 6% of enterprises using AI (DESI 2022).
While the global market for AI in retail is growing fast, the lack of a skilled workforce to support AI integration not only hinders market growth in the EU but also poses a significant risk for European SMEs. Without action, they may fall behind global competitors and miss out on key opportunities for growth and efficiency. Additionally, AI can be a powerful tool for making businesses more sustainable: companies around the world are successfully using AI to reduce emissions in production and operations, optimise supply chain management, and improve waste reduction.
In this context, INAIR aims to reduce the AI skills gap among European micro, small, and medium-sized retailers, enabling them to harness the potential of AI to green their businesses, enhance their global competitiveness, and ultimately contribute to achieving the Digital Decade target of more than 75% of European companies adopting AI technologies by 2030.
To achieve such aim, the project consortium has been working to pursue the following objectives:
- Identify AI-related skills needs and gaps in the retail sector;
- Develop and deliver a hybrid AI skills development programme for retail MSMEs;
- Create training resources to support educators and VET providers in delivering AI-related training, integrating the project AI skills development solutions into their work.
