156 FEATURE This is where a more autonomous supply chain, powered by artificial intelligence, is critical. “Supply chains have been thrust into the spotlight and, today more than ever, conversations are taking place around how to optimise, improve and reduce complexity by leveraging AI-powered solutions,” says Miller. “In the short term, this enables better inventory management and order fulfilment. Meanwhile, the long-term benefits include improved customer satisfaction, waste reduction and increased operational stability.” A 2021 article from Gartner predicted that by 2024, half of supply chain organisations will have invested in applications that support AI capabilities. “I think this prediction still holds true,” says Miller. “The ongoing challenges in supply chain management have driven many organisations to adopt these technologies, and they are certainly becoming more relevant and well-known in discussions we’re having.” Miller also attributes this growth to the rapid advancements in AI that have made these tools more accessible. In particular, the rise of generative AI has been a key factor. “While both generative AI and traditional AI can contribute to supply chain optimisation, the former enhances employee productivity and can work with a broader set of data,” she says. “This revolutionises the types of insights that can be gathered and improves the explanations that go with them.” Miller believes there are four key factors that make generative AI a more powerful tool for supply chain optimisation compared to standard AI tools: conversational competence, contextual capabilities, content generation and intelligent automation. “Generative AI’s conversational and contextual capabilities give supply chain teams access to tailored insights and automations based on chatbot interactions with data sources, providing them with next best actions in the flow of work, which is critical for reacting to changing consumer demand.” explains Miller. “There is also the ability to enhance and supplement data sources, which empowers supply chain managers to make better decisions based on contextualised insights from unstructured data. “This can be further enhanced with content generation and the creation of demand forecasts and reports with vendor-specific insights, which gives time back to team members to focus on more strategic decision-making. It also fuels greater supply chain orchestration. “Finally, through intelligent automation, generative AI functions as a conduit to Generative AI provides supply chain workers with a range of tools and tailored insights to help them streamline daily tasks Photo: Adobe Stock/dusanpetkovic1
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