While the luxury industry is still debating AI, CHANEL and Hermès are preparing for what comes next
Artificial intelligence dominates conversations across the luxury industry. Companies are investing in generative AI, experimenting with new tools and exploring the opportunities created by rapidly evolving technologies.
Yet behind these discussions, some of the industry's most influential Maisons appear to be asking a different question. How do you remain desirable in 2040?
Rather than focusing solely on the technologies of today, CHANEL and Hermès are developing capabilities they believe will matter over the next decade. Their approaches differ significantly, yet they ultimately pursue the same objective: ensuring that technological change strengthens rather than dilutes their identity.
CHANEL is investing in anticipation
CHANEL's strategy extends well beyond the adoption of artificial intelligence. As outlined in its 2025 Annual Report, the Maison has built an innovation ecosystem designed to identify emerging disruptions before they reshape the luxury industry.
Through its Open Innovation programme, Open Lab, its collaboration with the MIT Media Lab, and academic partnerships with Stanford University, Columbia University and New York University, CHANEL is investing in something more valuable than a single technology. It is building an organisational capacity to anticipate change.
Its areas of exploration range from artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing to life sciences, immersive experiences and next-generation materials. Rather than predicting the next technological trend, the Maison is creating the conditions to understand future transformations before they become market realities. In many ways, CHANEL is investing in anticipation itself.
Hermès is investing in mastery
Hermès has chosen a different path. Rather than accelerating technological experimentation, the Maison is focused on ensuring that innovation remains fully aligned with its culture, craftsmanship and long-term vision.
The creation of a dedicated AI governance committee, announced in its latest corporate reporting, reflects this philosophy. Its role is to supervise AI adoption, train employees and ensure that new technologies remain consistent with the company's values.
At the same time, Hermès continues to invest heavily in the transmission of craftsmanship. The group recruited more than 2,300 employees in 2024, including nearly 1,300 in France, employs over 25,000 people worldwide, and continues expanding its network of Écoles Hermès des Savoir-Faire, dedicated to training the next generation of artisans. Rather than preparing for technology alone, Hermès is investing in the people who will continue to define its identity.
Two visions, one ambition
The contrast between both approaches is revealing. Where CHANEL seeks to understand future disruptions, Hermès focuses on mastering them. Where CHANEL builds relationships with researchers, engineers and universities, Hermès reinforces the foundations of craftsmanship, governance and transmission.
One Maison prioritises exploration. The other prioritises stewardship. Yet these strategies are far less contradictory than they appear. Both recognise that technology alone will never create lasting competitive advantage. What matters is the organisational ability to decide how, when and why innovation should be adopted.
Technology is not the strategy
Artificial intelligence will eventually become widely accessible. The technologies themselves are unlikely to remain differentiating for long.
Competitive advantage will increasingly depend on something else. It will depend on the ability to decide which innovations deserve to be embraced, which should be ignored, and where technology should deliberately not intervene.
This is ultimately a question of governance rather than technology. It is about preserving identity while continuing to evolve. In luxury, that balance may become one of the sector's defining strategic capabilities.
Looking beyond artificial intelligence
The future of luxury will not be determined by which companies adopt artificial intelligence first. It will belong to those capable of integrating innovation without compromising what makes them distinctive.
As AI becomes increasingly accessible across the industry, craftsmanship, culture, creativity and strategic judgement may become even more valuable than the technologies themselves. The companies that will lead tomorrow are unlikely to be those with the most advanced algorithms, but those that understand where technology creates value—and where it should remain in the background.
Technology is not the strategy. Strategy is deciding what technology should serve—and what it should never replace.