Introduction: Cutting Through the AI Hype
If you’re a supply chain leader, your inbox is probably flooded with AI vendor pitches promising to “revolutionize” your operations. Machine learning will predict demand with 99% accuracy! Digital twins will optimize your entire network! Generative AI will write all your RFPs!
After 20 years in supply chain leadership across Asia-Pacific and spending the past year deep-diving into AI technologies, I’ve developed a simple filter: “Does this AI application solve a real supply chain problem better than existing methods, or is it just automation wrapped in buzzwords?”
The uncomfortable truth? Most AI applications in supply chain fall into the latter category. But there are genuine game-changers worth your investment and attention.
This article isn’t about the future of AI or theoretical possibilities. It’s about what works “right now” for supply chain directors managing real operations with real budgets and real constraints.
Let’s separate the signal from the noise.