< Back to Blogs
Share:

AI and the Future of Supply Chains: How Leaders Move from Hype to Real Impact

Special Guest Blog Post written by Karin Bursa, Founder and CEO of NIRAKIO and Supply Chain Now Host 

 

Artificial intelligence is no longer a “what if” in supply chain — it is here. In fact, Gartner predicts that 50% of cross-functional supply chain management solutions will use intelligent agents to autonomously execute decisions in the ecosystem by 2030. But how do leaders move from hype to real impact? During our recent Supply Chain Now Power Panel, I asked five senior executives to share where they see AI making the biggest impact. Their answers revealed not just excitement, but a roadmap for how supply chains can evolve.

Here is how they responded, in their own words.

Q: Where do you see AI making the greatest impact in your supply chain?

Eliza Simeonova – VP Global Supply, Mars Pet Nutrition

“AI forces operational discipline. Clean data is no longer optional. The system itself demands it. I also see AI shaping supply chain synchronization — aligning suppliers, factories, warehouses, and customers in new ways.”

Whitney Shlesinger – VP Global Planning & Logistics, McCormick

“For me, it’s about people. Employees want to move beyond non-value-added work. AI allows us to free them up for strategic thinking, collaboration, and creative problem-solving.”

Sylvia Wilks – CSCO, Lamb Weston

“AI is an enabler for better forecasting, inventory optimization, and cash flow management. It’s about using analytics not just to see the future, but to improve working capital today.”

Stephanie Beal – CSCO, Hasbro

“We’ve rolled out tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot to every employee, and adoption has been phenomenal. We’re also applying AI to demand planning and strategy reviews. It is already a game-changer for decision-making.”

Tamera Fenske – CSCO, Kimberly-Clark

“The next stage is Agentic AI — not just seeing insights but offering recommendations. One use case we love is knowledge management: decades of tissue manufacturing expertise now searchable in seconds.”

Closing Thoughts

What I found remarkable is how each leader sees AI not as a replacement, but as an accelerator: of discipline, of creativity, of financial impact, and of decision-making.

Their perspectives highlight a bigger truth: AI won’t transform supply chains on its own. Leaders will. And as these executives showed, the future is not about replacing people — it is about empowering them.

Check out the full conversation in this on-demand link and let us know how you think AI will impact your supply chain. And join us for the next “Never Normal” Power Panel on January 7th- register here!

More Blogs

supply chain control tower technology
Blogs
December 22, 2025

Top Microsoft Dynamics 365 Partners for Distribution and Supply Chain Management

This post is written by our friends at Winfosoft. Winfosoft is a globally recognized Microsoft Cloud Services Provider with more than 30 years of experience in ERP software solutions. Learn more at: https://winfosoft.com/   Choosing a Microsoft Dynamics 365 partner is a major decision for any distributor. The right team can help improve inventory visibility, reduce errors and give leaders clearer numbers to work with. Using the wrong one can slow things down and create more manual work. This guide explores partners with proven experience in distribution and supply chain operations. Each has a slightly different focus, so readers can see which model fits their business best.   What Dynamics 365 Partners Specialize in the Distribution Industry? Microsoft Dynamics 365 combines finance, operations, sales and customer information in one system. For distributors, this means a single place to manage stock, pricing, orders and warehouse activity across locations. Specialized partners build on that core system. They design the processes and integrations that align with how distributors actually operate their businesses. This list highlights partners based on their clear focus on distribution, demonstrated experience with Dynamics 365 and independent coverage published in the last few years.   1. Winfosoft Winfosoft is a…
supply chain
Blogs
January 15, 2026

5 Supply Chain Predictions on our 2026 Bingo Card

Special Guest Blog Post written by Philip Vervloesem   If your supply chain planning still runs on a monthly cycle, 2026 will be uncomfortable. We are operating in a polycrisis where change is constant, and responses need to be fast enough to keep up. From customer conversations, industry research, and leadership discussions at the Gartner supply chain conferences, a clear pattern has emerged: the organizations pulling ahead are not planning more often. They are embedding agility, intelligence, and speed into the way they make decisions. Here are five predictions shaping supply chain excellence in 2026 – our “bingo card” for what’s now table stakes.   1. Continuous, always-on planning is a must Monthly or quarterly cycles are no longer enough. The organizations that outperform treat planning as a continuous capability embedded in daily operations, and make it part of their governance and operational excellence. Imagine this: a sudden surge in demand hits or a supplier flags a delay. Instead of waiting for the next planning cycle, teams immediately evaluate options, share insights across functions, and adjust course. Planning stops being a calendar exercise and starts shaping real-time decisions.   “By shifting from process-centric to decision-centric planning, we now run hundreds…