Artificial intelligence is expected to significantly change supply chain management, according to industry and academic experts who gathered at the Terry College Business Learning Community in Athens. The panel discussion was part of the fall Supply Chain Advisory Board meeting at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business.
Marty Parker, senior supply chain lecturer and coordinator of the Terry College of Business Supply Chain Advisory Board, highlighted AI’s growing role. “Supply chain management is the movement of goods and information for all of the products we use every day in our lives,” Parker said. “AI is rapidly improving our ability to analyze and use that information for more efficient, effective, and resilient supply chains. Our students must be able to use and understand this new technology as they move into supply chain roles.”
The panel included faculty members Aaron Schecter, director of the Certificate in Artificial Intelligence for Business; MBA lecturer Thomas Beil; AI consultant Sean Wood from Human Pilots AI; and logistics engineer Drew Eubank, co-founder of Zion Solutions Group. Nearly 100 executives and students attended.
Discussions focused on how companies should evaluate new technologies and integrate them into their operations. Terry College students, along with advisory board president Sophia Masson and vice president Jack McCabe, raised questions about technology investments.
“Machines supplement humans,” Beil said. “I want to say that 10,000 times over. Whether it’s a pallet wrapper, whether it’s conveyance, whether it’s sortation — it’s a human supplement. That does not change.
“(The question is) how can we use AI and what type of machine learning gets us better adapted for the spikes and the lulls, and how to get that product to market when it should be,” he continued. “Let some machine do that — not a human being trying to go through 65,000 data tables and pull information together. That, to me, is the biggest advantage we’re going to see in the next decade.”
Students also asked about skills needed for future workplaces shaped by AI. Panelists stressed critical thinking and analytical abilities.
“Data never tells a lie, but never tells a story,” Eubank said while emphasizing students’ need to interpret data-driven analysis for decision-making. “From a skill set perspective, the human brain is still the most powerful tool on the planet because we can think outside the box. That type of skills — understanding what the story really is — is going to be impactful.”
Panelists agreed on major changes ahead in supply chain management due to technology adoption but noted challenges with integrating new systems into established processes.
“I’m more excited about the challenges this means for younger talent, and what they can do to challenge the way we think,” Eubank said. “When you’ve been doing something for 25 years, it’s very hard to change … (We need to focus on) how we use the new knowledge base as we have younger teammates come on board and challenge the way we do things and challenge our thoughts.”
