Artificial Intelligence Enabled Supply Chain Management: Unlocking New Opportunities and Challenges

Abstract

This paper delves deeper into the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled Supply Chain Management (SCM) as a groundbreaking technology capable of revolutionizing supply chain operations and ushering in a new era of possibilities. In today's dynamic business landscape, where agility and efficiency are paramount, AI plays a pivotal role in redefining how supply chains operate. The journey commences with an in-depth exploration of AI's fundamental concepts and its manifold applications within SCM, shedding light on its adaptability across various aspects of the supply chain, from demand forecasting to inventory optimization. Moreover, this paper illuminates the myriad benefits that AI brings to SCM practitioners. These advantages encompass heightened operational efficiency through real-time data analysis, cost reduction through predictive maintenance and optimized routing and a superior customer experience resulting from improved demand prediction and personalized service offerings. However, acknowledging the transformative power of AI in SCM, we must also acknowledge the hurdles in its implementation. This paper underscores the significant challenges that organizations may face while integrating AI into their SCM processes, ranging from data quality issues and concerns regarding privacy and security to the need for domain-specific human expertise. To address these hurdles effectively, the paper proposes a comprehensive framework. This framework encompasses a holistic strategy that aligns AI initiatives with organizational goals, governance and ethics considerations to ensure responsible AI deployment, and a clear roadmap that guides the implementation journey from inception to full integration. In conclusion, this paper offers valuable insights into the opportunities and challenges that AI-powered SCM presents in the ever-evolving business landscape. By providing practical recommendations, it equips organizations with the knowledge and tools needed to successfully harness the potential of AI in their supply chain operations, ultimately paving the way for enhanced competitiveness and sustainability in the future.

Received: 29 September 2023 | Revised: 17 April 2024 | Accepted: 23 July 2024

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest to this work.

Data Availability Statement

Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.

Author Contribution Statement

Shankha Shubhra Goswami: Conceptualization, Investigation, Visualization, Supervision, Project administration. Surajit Mondal: Investigation, Resources, Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing. Shouvik Sarkar: Methodology, Data curation, Visualization. Krishna Kumar Gupta: Methodology, Validation, Formal analysis. Sushil Kumar Sahoo: Validation, Data curation, Writing - original draft, Project administration. Rohit Halder: Formal analysis, Resources, Writing - review & editing.