Workforce gaps keep supply chain AI stuck in pilot mode
AI adoption across 13 supply chain functions averages 1.94 on a five-point scale. ASCM CEO Abe Eshkenazi says companies are buying the tool before fixing the process.
Freight technology vendors are selling AI agents that can benchmark rates and award freight under rules a customer sets. A new survey finds most supply chain organizations still limit AI to generating insights, and the first obstacle the research names is their own workforce.
The Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM) and the Digital Supply Chain Institute (DSCI) released The People Paradox in Supply Chain AI Integration on Oct. 14. Of the supply chain professionals surveyed, 83% said their employees are unprepared to use AI effectively. The 17% who described their workforce as ready reported a 71% AI project success rate. Everyone else reported 28%, and about 64% of that group is still in the pilot or planning stage.
Abe Eshkenazi, CEO of ASCM, said most AI sessions at supply chain conferences run through the same agenda: the challenges, the implementation, and the benefits. Every one of them ends with a reminder not to forget about the people, he said.
“It’s interesting because from our perspective that’s where you ought to start the conversation,” Eshkenazi told FreightWaves.
This story was originally published by FreightWaves. Read the full story at FreightWaves →
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