View original at blog.kinaxis.com

There’s no getting around it. Artificial intelligence (AI) is here. From self-driving cars to intelligent digital assistants (one of whom I share a name with) to advanced robots working on the shop floor. But conspicuously absent in all this fervor around what’s new and next in AI are details and examples of how to implement these emerging technologies in supply chain planning . Everyone it seems is focusing on supply chain execution. Don’t get caught in the spin cycle While examples of AI and machine learning in supply chain planning are few and far between, that doesn’t mean folks aren’t making progress in this area. The trick it seems is not getting caught up in all the hype – and there’s certainly a lot of it. Nearly every company under the sun is touting their software as having advanced AI capabilities. Well it’s time for a little truth – most of those claims are just creative marketing spin (it’s ok, I work in marketing so I can say that!). There isn’t a supply chain management tool on the market today that can catapult your supply chain planning into a realm where humans are strictly hands-off. That’s in part because AI in supply chain planning is still in its relevant infancy, but mostly because that isn’t the direction we’re heading. The robot apocalypse isn’t here. And there’s a good chance it’s never going to come. The likelihood of robots and smart machines putting everyone in the unemployment line is miniscule at best. Hang your misconceptions out to dry Instead of focusing on how machines are going to take over your supply chain, look instead at how you can leverage AI to improve the speed, accuracy and efficiency of your existing supply chain planning processes. To start with, you’re going to […]