The initial wave of AI-assistant SCM software has already had a substantial impact on the SCM market. It is now entering a new phase in which providers are seeking competitive advantage through investments in AI agents to execute simple tasks either individually or in collaboration with other agents.<\/p>\n
\u201cProcurement criteria are also evolving, with AI assistant features becoming a mandatory requirement for SCM software selection, and AI agents a common requirement,\u201d said Amarendra, Director, Research, in Gartner\u2019s Emerging Market Dynamics practice. \u201cSoftware vendors that successfully deploy advanced AI agents will gain a sustainable competitive advantage through the latter half of this forecast period.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gartner predicts that by 2030, 60% of enterprises using SCM software will have adopted agentic AI features, up from 5% in 2025, as businesses move from planning to deploying agentic AI within supply chain workflows. However, enterprise deployments of AI-driven SCM will lag behind general availability of such capabilities from SCM software providers due to the increasing gap between the technology and other layers of the supply chain operating model.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.findadistributor.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/figure_1_agentic_ai_forecast_in_scm_software_20242030.png\")
Figure 1: Agentic AI Forecast in SCM Software, 2024-2030<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201cWhile SCM tech providers will be delivering AI agents of various denominations to retain their competitive position in a rapidly evolving software market, supply chain data management, operations management, AI-readiness of the workforce, and network-centricity need to evolve to enable deployment of AI-driven supply chain at scale,\u201d Abbabatulla said.<\/p>\n
As chief supply chain officers and supply chain technology leaders evaluate and plan for the adoption of agentic AI capabilities, it is essential for them to determine and deploy appropriate levels of human-in-the-loop for supply chain management decisions, particularly during the early stages of AI-driven SCM software deployment.<\/p>\n
\u201cLeaders should focus their change management investments in adjacent layers of the supply chain operating model\u2014such as data management, operations management, workforce AI-readiness, and network-centricity. Additionally, developing strategic partnerships with AI-driven SCM platform providers is crucial to ensure robust support for multi-agent, multi-vendor AI agent orchestration,\u201d concluded Abbabatulla.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"