E-commerce and supply chain services provider Vserve has released its State of AI in Supply Chain Report 2026, examining the adoption of artificial intelligence across areas such as demand planning, procurement, supplier management, inventory and logistics.
The report identifies data quality, disconnected systems, unclear AI use cases and difficulties in measuring outcomes as key challenges for organisations looking to scale AI across supply chain operations.
The report cites Deloitte’s 2025 research, which found that 85 per cent of organisations had increased their AI investments over the previous 12 months, while 91 per cent planned to increase investments further. It also noted that organisations can take two to four years to realise measurable returns from AI implementation.
AI adoption is also increasing across supply chain operations. According to figures cited in the Vserve report from Gartner, 72 per cent of supply chain organisations were deploying generative AI, while only 23 per cent had a formal AI strategy.
Vserve CEO Siva Balakrishnan said AI adoption alone does not guarantee business value and that organisations need reliable data, clearly defined use cases and the ability to integrate AI-driven recommendations into operational processes.
The report recommends focusing on four areas to support wider AI adoption: improving data quality, identifying practical business use cases, connecting systems and processes, and establishing clear measures for outcomes.
It also examines the use of AI across supplier management, sourcing, demand planning and inventory management.
The report concludes that businesses are likely to gain greater value from AI when it is integrated into existing operational processes and used alongside human decision-making rather than treated as a standalone technology initiative.