AI is reshaping global supply chains by transforming how we expect to answer the most fundamental customer questions: Where are my goods, when will they arrive and can you help me cut costs?
Visibility once meant directing customers to check tracking online. Today, the technological backbone is evolving. AI is beginning to shift the industry from static plans to dynamic ones, and from reacting to problems to anticipating them.
With these tools, we will be able to alert customers before they ask. Instead of simply reporting a delay, we will show the projected impact on stock levels and, based on real sales patterns, whether supply chain adjustments are needed. For example, if a shipment of white t-shirts is late but a customer has eight in stock and sells one per day, AI can help determine that no sales will be lost. “Where is my shipment?” becomes “What does this mean for my ability to sell?”
AI is also shaping work across the supply chain. Instead of automating tasks one by one agentic AI — systems that can design and run entire processes independently — can orchestrate many steps simultaneously, select the best strategy and adapt as conditions change. For instance, it could reduce hours of manually checking freight management order confirmations to instants.
In the warehouse, increasing automation and robotics are beginning to generate richer data for more proactive support. For example, if the market sells out of a specific pair of sneakers while one customer still has full stock, we could flag a potential pricing or demand issue before they feel the impact.
If visibility has become a commodity, the value will come from what technology enables us to do with it. Doing business without AI will soon feel as unthinkable as operating without a computer. This is the most significant transformation the industry has seen in decades, and AI is becoming interwoven into nearly every project we pursue.