ASCM Survey: 83% of Supply Chain Staff Unprepared for AI, Limiting Adoption to Analysis

Most supply chain organizations are confining artificial intelligence to analysis rather than execution because their workers lack the skills to use it, according to an ASCM and DSCI report released Oct. 14. Of surveyed professionals, 83% said employees are unprepared to use AI effectively. The 17% reporting a ready workforce logged a 71% AI project success rate, versus 28% for the rest, about 64% of whom remain in pilot or planning stages. AI adoption across 13 core functions averaged 1.94 on a 1-to-5 scale, with demand planning highest at 2.28 and returns and reverse logistics lowest at 1.59. Lack of workforce skills and an unclear business case tied as top barriers at 33% each, followed by poor data quality at 25%. ASCM CEO Abe Eshkenazi said companies should start with one high-value process and measurable outcomes, warning that AI cannot fix bad processes or bad data. The survey drew 144 responses, 107 meeting analysis criteria.