I am staring at the latest Pulse Report results for the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas. I am afraid not only that dealerships are falling behind, but more so that owners are putting their businesses at risk by failing to engage with artificial intelligence.
The latest Pulse Report has sentiment charts, retail trends and inventory pages all telling a familiar story of soft demand, fragile confidence and high inventory levels. Then there’s a page with a simple question: “How would you describe your dealership’s approach to AI use?” The responses land like a splash of cold water. Most dealers still describe their approach to AI as informal. A few say they are dabbling. Very few say they have a defined strategy. When they’re asked what feels hardest about using AI in a dealership, the comments pour in.
“Figuring out the best places to use it and how to integrate.” “Staff not trusting it.” “Learning curve.” “Getting comfortable with using it.” “Another learning or training expense. Time will tell the real value.” “Getting everyone on board.” And my personal favorite, which is honest enough to sting: “I’ll try not to think about it.”
In other words, after more than three years of AI tools like ChatGPT being in the wild, and after two years of the MRAA sharing AI insights at Dealer Week, a large share of dealers still do not have a real plan. This fear and reluctance is a direct threat to dealership relevance.
The Pulse Report gives us a window into the mindset behind survey boxes. “We do not use AI, as we like to keep it personal with our customers,” one dealer commented. “Everything is too fake, so we try to keep it real and intentional.” Another dealer noted: “The biggest challenge with AI is customers feeling that the AI research could possibly be as accurate, if not more accurate, than the years of experience from a dealership.”
Those are not the words of lazy leaders. They are the words of people who care deeply about their customers, their reputations and the craft they have built over many years. From that perspective, AI can feel like an intruder, like the thing that steals the personal from the experience and replaces it with something canned and synthetic.
The irony is that, in the hands of a customer, AI is already personal. It is sitting on their phone late at night while they ask it which brand has the best reputation for reliability. It is comparing prices across markets. It is answering questions about interest rates and monthly payments and trade values.
It is filling in the knowledge gaps that used to belong to a sales team alone.
When dealers tell me they are resisting AI because they want to keep things personal, I believe them. But I also know that their customers are using AI whether they like it or not. The choice is not between AI and human connection. The choice is whether to join the customer in the conversation or pretend it is not happening.
Comments in the Pulse Report also reveal another layer of hesitancy that will sound familiar to any dealer principal. “Still trying to figure out a strategy of how to use AI that actually makes us more efficient,” one dealer wrote. “Learning fast enough to keep up,” another said. Yet another shared: “Knowing what we should apply AI to and at what time. We’ve been using it for random tasks with good success, but we’re not sure how to deploy it at scale.”
I know that behind those quotes, inventory flooring costs are stacked up in a spreadsheet. A staff issue waits in an inbox. A manufacturer asks for bigger commitments. Some dealers know AI is important; they also know they cannot add one more project to their list.
Last month, we talked about the mental load that a dealer principal carries, the way so many contradictions converge and threaten to create burnout if a dealer keeps leading by default. AI sits inside that tension. Treated as one more thing to master personally, it will feel unbearable. But treated as a leadership decision about how a business will operate in the future, it looks different.
Consider this scenario: A dealership recognizes issues with learning curves and staff not trusting the tools. They decide that doing nothing is more dangerous than doing something imperfectly. Instead of trying to launch AI across the whole dealership, they start where their pain is sharpest: the service department. Launch season is coming, the schedule is already under pressure, and customers are frustrated by slow communication.
The owner sits down with a trusted manager and one younger team member who has been playing with AI on her own. Together, they walk through the service process from first contact to final pickup. They circle every point where the ball gets dropped or the response lags.
Then they give themselves permission to try one thing. They do not buy an expensive, unproven platform. They simply start using AI to draft status updates and explanations that service advisors will review and personalize before sending. Within a week, the advisor has a bank of clear, friendly messages that explain delays, outline next steps and recap work performed. The team still approves every word that goes to the customer, but they no longer have to write every message from scratch.
During the next month, they notice fewer inbound “just checking on it” calls and feel a little less stretched. Customers feel more informed. The owner begins to see that AI is a way to make the work that’s already being done more consistent, more efficient and more human where it counts.
They look for other choke points. Inconsistent lead-response times. Inventory decisions that depend on gut feel. Follow-up calls that happen in bursts instead of as a rhythm. They ask: “Where could AI help us see patterns and respond faster so our people can focus on the conversations and decisions that require judgment and empathy?” Their blueprint grows out of those conversations.
When I say I am afraid that dealers are at risk by not engaging with AI, I am suggesting that, in today’s market — where retail demand is fragile, prices have outrun incomes and interest rates are still a headwind — there is no margin to operate with yesterday’s level of inefficiency. Too many dealers are still in the “I’ll try not to think about it” stage while customers are moving ahead regardless. They are researching more deeply online. They are using AI to compare brands and experiences. They are forming opinions about dealerships long before they walk through the doors.
A business owner does not need a perfect AI strategy to respond to that reality. What’s necessary is to decide that AI will not remain a side project. One good way to start is to talk with the team about a part of the operation where faster, more consistent communication or better decision-making would make a meaningful difference. Then give someone permission to try something small, report back about what they learn, and build from there.
The technology will keep evolving with or without us. The question is whether dealerships will still feel relevant to a customer who expects the speed and clarity those tools can bring.
Matt Gruhn is president of the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas.
This story originally appeared in the April 2026 version of Soundings Trade Only.
