AI in Sourcing Optimization Today

As we continue our investigation into AI in source-to-pay technology, which started with our AI in Procurement series and continued with our AI in Sourcing series, we take a deeper dive into optimization. Primarily the focus is on strategic sourcing decision optimization, but we'll discuss related areas as well.

First, let’s recap the status quo to remind us of the reason for the existence of these AI briefings.

AI, or artificial intelligence, does not yet exist, especially in the strictest definition of the term. Computers are not intelligent, not even artificially. They can do more calculations than ever before. They can take advantage of more data than ever before. They can find significantly more correlations than ever before and compute, with better and better statistical reliability, which are just correlations and which are true cause and effect relationships. But they are still, when you get right down to it, as dumb as door knobs. Probability is not intelligence. But it is damn good guidance.

In sourcing, logistics and supply chain, we are primarily concerned with decision optimization. Read on to find out the latest developments and expectations.