Rethinking Today’s Supply Chain THE TRANSFORMER Are Humans in “The Loop” of Your Future-fit Strategy?
I recently counseled a stealth startup on its go-to- market strategy. It’s a familiar story—Silicon Valley-based, computer science DNA, venture capital funding, and an ambition to jump on the AI train and automate backend processes better than predecessors. The acceleration of generative and agentic AI and large language models (LLM) in the past couple of years has given well-heeled entrepreneurial spirits confidence they can leapfrog existing solutions. The ambition has merit. GenAI’s swift introduction to the corporate consciousness has upended the “bleeding edge, leading edge, and fast/first follower” paradigm that long governed technology adoption. This isn’t the RFID Rubicon some companies explored, then crossed, two decades ago. Hype largely exceeded reality. Even blockchain has taken a back seat as supply chain organizations inevitably realize they need to prioritize digitizing analog processes—i.e., paper bills of lading—before they can even entertain distributed ledger protocol. Today’s challenge is markedly different because the pace of transformation, and the risk of not reacting to these AI step- changes, is considerable. I recall listening to Kraft-Heinz regale the audience at Gartner’s 2023 Supply Chain Symposium with how a risk management startup released a new software version in a matter of weeks, not months or quarters. Importantly, GenAI is both a means and an end. That it can create synthetic data to train and test algorithms, alone, has become a game changer for software development. In terms of an end game, wait-and-see politicking and stakeholder misalignment quickly open the door to competitive disruption—especially when it comes to people strategy.
JOE O’REILLY MSc. M.A. is a digital transformation strategist, supply chain innovator, and anthropologist. He helped build and run CPG manufacturer Unilever’s first open innovation program for its global supply chain, working with business stakeholders to scout new technologies. Joe has guest lectured on innovation and transformation in Boston University’s MBA program. His passion is working at the intersection of People, Process, and Technology—helping organizations develop talent strategies that flex with current and future tech trends.
PROCESS AUTOMATION AND A CASE FOR SUPPLY CHAIN AUTHORITY
Consultant speak thrives during periods of uncertainty and ambiguity. Over the past decade we’ve been introduced to countless buzzwords and acronyms intended to make sense
66 Inbound Logistics • January 2026
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