AI Is Now Making Supply Chain Decisions, Not Just Tracking Shipments

Two announcements this week signal that AI in supply chain is crossing from "nice to have" to "how we actually run." RELEX Solutions released a report showing AI has moved into core supply chain decision-making, and IFS launched IFS.ai Logistics — a full AI-powered intelligence platform for multi-carrier, multi-region transport management.

The RELEX data is telling: 67% of retail and manufacturing leaders say their confidence in using AI for supply chain decisions has increased compared to last year. Nearly half — 47% — are actively using or planning AI-driven inventory and supply optimization. And 41% are applying AI to logistics and routing. These are not pilot numbers anymore. This is operational deployment.

From Visibility to Decision-Making

Descartes also expanded its AI capabilities this month, launching MacroPoint OpsForce — a suite of AI agents designed to automate freight visibility workflows. The shift here is important: we have moved past the "track your shipment" phase into "let AI decide what to do about it." Autonomous exception handling, dynamic rerouting, proactive carrier management — all without waiting for a human to notice the problem.

The investment numbers back this up. 71% of organizations are planning to invest in generative and agentic AI for supply chain over the next three to five years. 60% are investing in predictive AI specifically. The money is flowing because the results are real — fewer stockouts, lower carrying costs, tighter delivery windows, and reduced manual planning labor.

I have been skeptical of supply chain AI hype for years, and I still think most companies are further behind than they admit. But the platforms launching right now are fundamentally different from the dashboards we were sold five years ago. They are making decisions, not just displaying data. That is the shift that actually matters.