Jesse Bailey

Special Guest Blog Post written by Parabola Founder & CEO, Alex Yaseen   Operators are under pressure. They’re expected to move faster, do more with less, and somehow keep everything running smoothly while their systems, tools, and data are a mess. Now, AI is adding a whole new layer. On one hand, it’s exciting. The potential is real. On the other, a lot of teams feel stuck. They know they should be using AI, but they’re not sure where it fits into their day-to-day work. These are the five questions I get asked most often—whether someone’s trying to get started with automation, or trying to figure out how AI actually helps. 1. Can we automate this, or is it too messy? This question usually comes from someone deep in a spreadsheet that was never meant to scale. The short answer is: yes, you can probably automate it. But the longer answer is that you’ll need to rethink the process first. AI can help summarize, transform, and clean data—but it won’t fix a broken workflow. That’s on you. The best teams pair structured automation with lightweight AI to get leverage. Think: using rules and logic to standardize a workflow, and AI…

Scope 3 emissions reportedly account for more than 70% of businesses’ carbon footprints. That huge percentage gives an indication of just how critical supply chain sustainability efforts are to the planet. Thankfully, a growing number of eco-friendly innovations are helping reshape global supply chains. Supply Chain Sustainability: An Industry Imperative in a Changing World It is becoming increasingly important for companies to accurately calculate their supply chain emissions and create an information-sharing ecosystem, according to Matthew Gardner, co-founder and managing partner of Sustainserv, a consulting firm that helps businesses implement sustainability strategies. Gardner said accounting for supply chain-related greenhouse gas emissions includes such challenges as: Data gathering of “materials, manufacturing processes, activities of second- and third-tier suppliers, and overall data governance and quality.” Calculation methodology that “reflects the realities of raw material sourcing, product manufacturing, transportation and distribution, and other life-cycle impacts that may affect reported greenhouse gas totals.” Supplier relationships, which can be strained as a result of emissions assessments. Businesses also need to keep in mind their relationships with consumers. PDI Technologies said 80% of U.S. consumers it surveyed were willing to pay more for sustainable products. “Between these statistics and the regulatory conversations that are happening in…