Manhattan explains agentic AI choices

Manhattan Associates on May 20 introduced Sightline, a new capability in its ActivePlanning suite that explains the reasoning behind AI-driven forecasts, recommendations and inventory decisions in plain business language, the company said. DC Velocity reported the launch the same day, describing the tool as a response to planner skepticism around agentic AI in supply-chain software. Manhattan said the feature delivers real-time, in-application explanations rather than requiring planners to investigate recommendations outside the system. ### What exactly did Manhattan launch? Sightline is a decision-intelligence feature embedded in Manhattan ActivePlanning, according to Manhattan’s May 20 announcement. The company said it reveals the “reasoning behind every AI-driven forecast, recommendation, and inventory decision” and is designed to turn what it called hours of off-system investigation into answers delivered within seconds. (manh.com) DC Velocity said the tool explains the “why” behind projected outcomes in plain business language. The publication said the release was aimed at supply-chain users who want more visibility into how agentic systems arrive at suggested actions. ### What kind of explanation does the software give planners? Manhattan said Sightline translates recommendations into operational drivers such as lead times, service risk and carrying-cost tradeoffs. (manh.com) The company said those explanations are shown in the workflow where planners are already reviewing forecasts, inventory positions and suggested actions. The feature is meant to explain recommendations tied to planning decisions, including inventory actions, rather than only generating a prediction or alert. (dcvelocity.com) DC Velocity said the system is intended to help users evaluate AI-driven transfers, buys and other planning moves more quickly by surfacing the rationale in business terms. ### Why is Manhattan focusing on explainability now? (manh.com) Manhattan has been expanding agentic AI across its product line since at least May 2025, when it unveiled broader agentic AI support in Manhattan Active solutions at its Momentum conference in Las Vegas. In January 2026, the company said its AI agent workforce had reached commercial availability across Manhattan Active solutions, positioning those agents as embedded tools for real-time supply-chain execution. (dcvelocity.com) DC Velocity reported in January that adoption of agentic AI was being held back in part by readiness concerns among logistics leaders. In that context, Manhattan’s latest release adds a layer of explanation to autonomous or semi-autonomous recommendations that companies may already be evaluating. ### Where does Sightline fit in Manhattan’s broader AI lineup? Manhattan’s product materials describe Manhattan Active Agents as autonomous tools that can perform tasks, make decisions within guardrails and coordinate multi-step workflows across systems. (manh.com) The company also markets Agent Foundry as a way for customers to build, modify and manage their own AI agent workforce within Manhattan Active solutions. (dcvelocity.com) Sightline sits closer to the planner interface. Rather than creating a new agent category, Manhattan said it adds “decision intelligence” to ActivePlanning by exposing the logic behind forecasts and recommendations already generated inside the platform. ### Who is this aimed at inside a supply-chain organization? Manhattan said the target user is the planner working inside ActivePlanning. The company framed the release around trust, saying the feature is intended to deepen planner confidence in AI-generated decisions by making the rationale visible in real time. (manh.com) For companies running multi-node inventory networks, that means a planner reviewing a proposed transfer or purchase can see the stated tradeoffs before acting. (manh.com) That reading is an inference from Manhattan’s description of the feature and DC Velocity’s account of how the tool explains inventory recommendations. ### What comes next from Manhattan? Momentum 2026 materials published this week show Manhattan continuing to promote AI agents, unified supply-chain platforms and real-time data tools across its product set. (manh.com) The company’s March 19, 2026 live event materials also show ongoing product marketing around autonomous decision-making and orchestration in transportation and supply-chain workflows. Manhattan said Sightline is now part of ActivePlanning, and the company published details of the launch in its May 20 newsroom release. (manh.com) DC Velocity’s May 20 report provides the external trade-press account of the same release. (manh.com)