“AI is here, and it’s here to stay,” say Paul Hirsch, MAS, CEO, and Peter Hirsch, MAS, president, of HIRSCH, PPAI 100’s No. 13 supplier. “We’re in tandem with nearly every other supplier in the industry with the philosophy that AI can, and will, improve every aspect of our business. We’re wholehearted adopters and executors of that initiative.” The State Of Innovation 2026 | Must Read TABLE 10: How does your firm ensure compliance with relevant IT governance and data protection regulations? Artificial Intelligence (AI) Block- chain Internet of Things (IoT) Augmented Reality (AR) Virtual Reality (VR) 3D Printing Other None Suppliers $100M+ 100% 23% 38% 8% 0% 54% 23% 0% Suppliers $25M-$100M 100% 6% 35% 18% 6% 41% 12% 0% Suppliers $10M-$25M 82% 9% 18% 5% 9% 27% 23% 14% Suppliers $3M-$10M 86% 0% 24% 10% 0% 38% 10% 0% Suppliers Under $3M 75% 0% 0% 13% 13% 13% 0% 25% TABLE 11: In which areas of your business are you considering or implementing AI? Customer Support Inventory Management Product Personalization Lack of Expertise Other Suppliers $100M+ 38% 0% 8% 0% 54% Suppliers $25M-$100M 33% 15% 12% 0% 39% Suppliers $10M-$25M 36% 14% 9% 0% 41% Suppliers $3M-$10M 24% 0% 10% 0% 67% Suppliers Under $3M 38% 13% 0% 13% 38% • SEPTEMBER 2026 • 89 Watson maintains that the industry is still figuring out AI. “I’m sure everyone is virtuous in whatever it is that they’re trying to do, but the ones that tickle me the most are the ones who are more operationally efficient,” he says. “If you have great people in the organization, why not give them more time to do things that are meaningful to the business and less time devoted to administrative clerical work that could be handled elsewhere?” “If you have great people in the organization, why not give them more time to do things that are meaningful to the business and less time devoted to administrative clerical work that could be handled elsewhere?” —ROB WATSON, VANTAGE APPAREL
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