RELEX: AI moves into core planning
What happened
A new RELEX report finds AI is graduating from experiments to core supply‑chain decisions — forecasting, inventory and logistics are now using models in production as volatility persists. The finding suggests real deployment is accelerating, even as specialist talent shortages limit some end‑to‑end integrations. (prnewswire.com)
Why it matters
The RELEX State of Supply Chain 2026 report is drawn from a January 2026 survey of 514 retail, manufacturing, wholesale and supply‑chain leaders conducted by Researchscape and weighted to countries’ nominal GDP. (relexsolutions.com) (relexsolutions.com) Nearly half — 47% — of respondents are using or planning AI‑driven inventory and supply‑optimization, while 41% report applying AI to logistics and routing. (relexsolutions.com) (relexsolutions.com) Surveyed retail and manufacturing leaders reported a jump in confidence: 67% said their confidence in using AI for supply‑chain decision‑making increased year‑over‑year; 54% prefer AI to make recommendations with humans finalizing decisions, and just 10% would trust AI to make fully independent decisions. (relexsolutions.com) (relexsolutions.com) RELEX found forward investment plans skew toward advanced models, with 71% planning to invest in generative and agentic AI and 60% planning investment in predictive AI over the next three to five years. (relexsolutions.com) (relexsolutions.com) The report ties AI investment to concrete operational pain points: 44% of leaders listed consumer demand volatility as a top three‑year challenge, while manufacturers singled out raw‑material procurement disruption (57%) and regulatory/compliance pressures (34%). (relexsolutions.com) (relexsolutions.com) RELEX’s previous State of the Supply Chain 2025 study found 44% of companies could not find the specialized talent required to implement AI, quantifying the execution gap that could constrain many of the 2026 investment plans. (BusinessWire / Yahoo Finance) (finance.yahoo.com)
Key numbers
- (prnewswire.com) The RELEX State of Supply Chain 2026 report is drawn from a January 2026 survey of 514 retail, manufacturing, wholesale and supply‑chain leaders conducted by Researchscape and weighted to countries’ nominal GDP.
- (relexsolutions.com) (relexsolutions.com) Nearly half — 47% — of respondents are using or planning AI‑driven inventory and supply‑optimization, while 41% report applying AI to logistics and routing.
- (relexsolutions.com) (relexsolutions.com) RELEX found forward investment plans skew toward advanced models, with 71% planning to invest in generative and agentic AI and 60% planning investment in predictive AI over the next three to five years.
What happens next
- (relexsolutions.com) (relexsolutions.com) RELEX found forward investment plans skew toward advanced models, with 71% planning to invest in generative and agentic AI and 60% planning investment in predictive AI over the next three to five years.
Quick answers
What happened in RELEX: AI moves into core planning?
A new RELEX report finds AI is graduating from experiments to core supply‑chain decisions — forecasting, inventory and logistics are now using models in production as volatility persists. The finding suggests real deployment is accelerating, even as specialist talent shortages limit some end‑to‑end integrations. (prnewswire.com)
Why does RELEX: AI moves into core planning matter?
The RELEX State of Supply Chain 2026 report is drawn from a January 2026 survey of 514 retail, manufacturing, wholesale and supply‑chain leaders conducted by Researchscape and weighted to countries’ nominal GDP. (relexsolutions.com) (relexsolutions.com) Nearly half — 47% — of respondents are using or planning AI‑driven inventory and supply‑optimization, while 41% report applying AI to logistics and routing. (relexsolutions.com) (relexsolutions.com) Surveyed retail and manufacturing leaders reported a jump in confidence: 67% said their confidence in using AI for supply‑chain decision‑making increased year‑over‑year; 54% prefer AI to make recommendations with humans finalizing decisions, and just 10% would trust AI to make fully independent decisions. (relexsolutions.com) (relexsolutions.com) RELEX found forward investment plans skew toward advanced models, with 71% planning to invest in generative and agentic AI and 60% planning investment in predictive AI over the next three to five years. (relexsolutions.com) (relexsolutions.com) The report ties AI investment to concrete operational pain points: 44% of leaders listed consumer demand volatility as a top three‑year challenge, while manufacturers singled out raw‑material procurement disruption (57%) and regulatory/compliance pressures (34%). (relexsolutions.com) (relexsolutions.com) RELEX’s previous State of the Supply Chain 2025 study found 44% of companies could not find the specialized talent required to implement AI, quantifying the execution gap that could constrain many of the 2026 investment plans. (BusinessWire / Yahoo Finance) (finance.yahoo.com)
