Faced with the rise of AI, the question of its consequences arises. And this, particularly in the very sensitive area of the supply chain: complement or replacement for humans? Decryption.
AI is transforming supply chain planning. But what does this mean for planners? Will they be replaced by ever more sophisticated technology or will they be able to exploit it to simplify their tasks and focus on more creative missions? Some companies will use AI to strengthen their teams, others to streamline their workforce.
Regardless, the role of planners is changing. And this is just the beginning: with the arrival of agents capable of reasoning and acting, the supply chain is entering a whole new era.
The role of human supervision
The big myth surrounding AI, and in particular AI agents, is that it would allow supply chains to be managed on autopilot. In reality, AI still needs some degree of human supervision. Although it is capable of generating insights and taking action, it still needs to be complemented by humans to interpret the nuances of the real world.
The supply chains of tomorrow will therefore not be unmanned: they will operate on a continuous loop between humans and intelligent systems. Even in highly automated environments, organizations will need to maintain strategic oversight and clear accountabilities to ensure AI remains aligned with business objectives. In certain cases, it will be able to spot an anomaly and propose an action, but only a human planner will be able to decide whether it is relevant to change supplier, speed up a delivery or modify a route.
The future therefore rests on collaboration. Planners will act as real conductors: they will pilot the AI, validate its recommendations and coordinate AI agents capable of forecasting demand, optimizing inventory or simulating scenarios. If AI brings speed, scalability and predictive power, humans will retain what no machine can: empathy, creativity, ethics and expertise.
The planner of tomorrow: a collaborative strategist rather than a firefighter
But what will the role of planner look like in 2030? While AI will take over routine tasks, planners will focus on what machines cannot do: co-innovate with partners, influence strategy and supervise AI agents and adopt a resolutely collaborative posture, internally and externally.
Planners will also play a critical role in shaping the tools they use, managing model training, data curation, and ensuring the results reflect reality.
One of the key developments we are beginning to witness is the emergence of autonomous concurrent orchestration. Indeed, today, many vendors are interested in agents that automate existing siled processes. In the future, we will see more agents that synchronize planning decisions across functions (procurement, logistics, manufacturing) in real time. Instead of optimizing each step one after the other, agents will make better trade-offs by modeling all variables simultaneously. Agent-to-agent communication will also help break down silos, improve the decision-making process, and speed up problem resolution.
Why can’t AI replace humans?
The future will not be under the sign of artificial replacement, but that of augmented intelligence. AI will provide insights and enable real-time decision-making that were simply not possible before. Even so, the most resilient supply chains will always include humans in the loop to manage, correct and push the boundaries of what is possible.
The message to planners is clear: embrace the tools, but never lose sight of your value. The future belongs to those who evolve with AI by setting its course rather than just following it. The planners who come out on top in 2030 won’t be afraid of AI. They will join in and be all the more powerful because of it.
