ICA Gruppen's Oskar Jakobsson: pace of AI evolution is rapid, impact on business bigger than most imagine

Driving isolated projects might seem a quick to value thing in the here and now, but will create a scattered IT environment that eventually will slow you down. You will also dilute the current workforce and create competence bottlenecks in your organisation. So says Oskar Jakobsson, Director Customer Solutions at ICA Gruppen.

Jakobsson was speaking in the aftermath of a ICA Copilot session with Microsoft, which took place last week.

In a LinkedIn post, he said: "Let's stop talking about AI as something of its own; it's a technique to achieve business effects. The pace of AI evolution is rapid, and the impact on business will be bigger than most of us can imagine."

"Previously, AI has been treated as something separate, often part of a separate team, and the projects have been isolated cases driven to solve one specific issue. The time for that has passed. AI is now more mature and needs to be handled as the technical tool it actually is and be integrated into every part of the business organisation. This shift is not just a trend; it's the only way forward to scale and derive true value from it." 

He added: "By embedding AI into the core of our operations, we can unlock unprecedented efficiencies, drive innovation, and enhance customer experiences. AI's potential to analyse vast amounts of data, automate routine tasks, and provide actionable insights is transformative. But to fully harness this power, it must be woven into the fabric of our organisational structure, not handled by a separate organisation. What we still need is a centre of excellence to support and data management/governance."

"That's why it was great to be part of the ICA Copilot session for over 100 employees with Microsoft this Monday. It was also great to meet up and have separate discussions on this and many more topics with Keith Mercier (VP at Microsoft) who was in town."

Jakobsson concluded: "Imagine a company where AI is seamlessly integrated into sales, marketing, customer service, logistics, and product development. Each team leverages AI to make data driven decisions, optimise processes, personalised experiences and deliver value. This holistic approach ensures that AI's benefits are maximised across the board, leading to sustainable growth and competitive advantage. It feels great to see that ICA invests and is dedicated to drive this journey."

RTIH AI in Retail Awards

RTIH, organiser of the industry leading RTIH Innovation Awards, proudly brings you the first edition of the RTIH AI in Retail Awards, which is now open for entries. 

As we witness a digital transformation revolution across all channels, AI tools are reshaping the omnichannel game, from personalising customer experiences to optimising inventory, uncovering insights into consumer behaviour, and enhancing the human element of retailers' businesses.

With 2025 set to be the year when AI and especially gen AI shake off the ‘heavily hyped’ tag and become embedded in retail business processes, our newly launched awards celebrate global technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world and the resulting benefits for retailers, shoppers and employees.

Our 2025 winners will be those companies who not only recognise the potential of AI, but also make it usable in everyday work - resulting in more efficiency and innovation in all areas.

Winners will be announced at an evening event at The Barbican in Central London on Thursday, 3rd July.

This will kick off with a drinks reception in the stunning Conservatory, followed by a three course meal, and awards ceremony in the Garden Room.

Please email our Editor, Scott Thompson, if you have any questions or need further information: scott.thompson@retailtechinnovationhub.com

Key 2025 dates

Friday, 23rd May: Award entry deadline 

Tuesday, 27th May: 2025 finalists revealed

Wednesday, 28th May - Friday, 13th June: Judging days

Thursday, 3rd July: Winners announced at the 2025 RTIH AI in Retail Awards Ceremony, to be held at The Barbican in Central London.