From TIME · · 1m 10s
Gap's AI Chief Rewires How Fashion Gets Made
Sven Gerjets is using Google Cloud's AI tools to redesign Gap Inc.'s entire product pipeline, from design to checkout.
In brief
Sven Gerjets is using Google Cloud's AI tools to redesign Gap Inc.'s entire product pipeline, from design to checkout. AI's real value in retail comes from redesigning workflows, not just adding smart features to existing processes. Originally reported by TIME.
Gap partners with Google Cloud
Gap Inc. signed a multi-year deal with Google Cloud in 2025 to deploy Gemini, Vertex AI, and BigQuery across product creation, planning, pricing, marketing, customer experience, and employee workflows.
AI features already live
Gap launched predictive fit guidance and conversational checkout powered by AI this year, with shopping assistants for Banana Republic and Old Navy coming next.
Sven Gerjets leads the charge
Gap's CTO Sven Gerjets oversees the company's AI investment and describes the strategy as enable, optimize, and reinvent.
Reinvention means redesigning work
The reinvent phase includes a complete rework of how Gap brings products to market, from ideation through design, manufacturing, and marketing.
Process redesign is the hard part
Gerjets emphasizes that AI value requires understanding current workflows, breaking down tasks, and redefining who does what before applying AI. Without this groundwork, the benefits don't materialize.
“Process reengineering is core to AI benefit and value.”
Here's the gist
AI's real value in retail comes from redesigning workflows, not just adding smart features to existing processes.
