Artificial intelligence in supply chain management: theory and applications

Artificial intelligence (AI) was introduced to develop and create “thinking machines” that are capable of mimicking, learning, and replacing human intelligence. Since the late 1970s, AI has shown great promise in improving human decision-making processes and the subsequent productivity in various business endeavors due to its ability to recognise business patterns, learn business phenomena, seek information, and analyse data intelligently. Despite its widespread acceptance as a decision-aid tool, AI has seen limited application in supply chain management (SCM). To fully exploit the potential benefits of AI for SCM, this paper explores various sub-fields of AI that are most suitable for solving practical problems relevant to SCM. In so doing, this paper reviews the past record of success in AI applications to SCM and identifies the most fruitful areas of SCM in which to apply AI.