Luxury: consumers are trusting AI faster than brands are building it

The annual True-Luxury Global Consumer Insight study, run by Boston Consulting Group and Altagamma across more than 10,000 top-tier and aspirational luxury buyers (100+ questions, published July 7, 2026), documents a consumer-side adoption of generative AI that has become mainstream: 87% of respondents use AI weekly, 40% daily, and roughly 80% already use it to research luxury purchases.

The effect on brand perception is clear and positive: 83% of consumers say they view a brand more favorably when it uses AI in the purchase journey, and 77% say they intend to keep buying from that brand. The most direct signal for luxury houses: 62% of consumers now expect AI assistance from the brand itself, not just from a generic assistant.

On the corporate side, the study finds that 60% of luxury and fashion companies remain at an emerging stage of AI maturity — meaning less than half of the sector has moved past that initial stage. Market growth forecasts stay measured too: 2-5% in FY26, rising to 4-7% by 2029.

The gap is stark: trust and usage have taken hold on the consumer side faster than capability has been built on the brand side. That is not just an execution lag — it opens the door for other players to occupy, ahead of the brands, the intermediation layer between the house and its customer.