In May, during a visit to Microsoft’s Seattle headquarters, Chanel CEO Leena Nair and her leadership team met with tech companies to explore AI’s role in the luxury industry. Speaking at Stanford Graduate School of Business’s “View From The Top,” Nair described how her team is examining AI’s widespread influence and how it could align with Chanel’s values. “AI is everywhere,” she noted. “It’s going to be transformative for our world, so luxury must engage with it, and Chanel must engage with it.”
While interacting with ChatGPT at Microsoft, Nair experienced a lighthearted moment. She asked the AI for an image of Chanel’s senior team visiting Microsoft, only for it to generate an image of an “all-male team in suits”—a stark mismatch with Chanel’s diverse leadership. Nair, who was previously Unilever’s first female Chief HR Officer, pointed out the disparity, saying, “This is Chanel. My organization is 76% women, 96% of my clients are women, and I am a female CEO.” She humorously remarked, “Is this the best you’ve got, ChatGPT? Really?”
This experience highlighted AI’s often biased assumptions about corporate settings. Although the GPT-4 model of ChatGPT has made strides in human-like interaction, Nair voiced concerns about the ethical considerations of AI, encouraging tech leaders to integrate a “humanistic” approach. “I consistently remind my friends in tech, all the CEOs you know, to ensure they’re incorporating a humanistic mindset in AI,” she said.
Chanel’s AI strategy aims to balance tech innovation with brand heritage, with Nair confirming that the brand is working toward becoming “AI-ready.” This includes building infrastructure, defining data governance protocols, and experimenting with productivity tools and customer-facing chatbots.
While advancing technologically, Nair emphasized Chanel’s commitment to “human creators” and the importance of preserving creative autonomy. “It’s essential that AI enhances human creativity rather than replaces the skillful mastery our creators bring,” she explained, underscoring this focus as a core part of Chanel’s identity.