Nearly Half of Supply Chain Leaders Rate Technology Readiness Ahead of AI Governance, RELEX Finds

​​​Governance ranks lowest across retail and manufacturing as practitioners seek ​help applying​​ AI and proving its value

As retailers, manufacturers and distributors turn to AI to help determine what to stock, how much to produce and where to invest, new RELEX research finds their readiness to oversee AI trails their technology. N​​early half (48%) of supply chain and planning leaders surveyed rate their organizations' technology platforms ahead of their AI governance.

​​The ​RELEX State of Supply Chain AI Practitioner Pulse ​​​points to broader challenges in preparing organizations to use AI. Only ​​8% ​​of respondents have an average AI readiness score of at least seven out of 10 across the five areas assessed: data, planning processes, technology, people and change leadership, and governance.​​

Governance ranks at the bottom of the assessment for 58% of respondents. It also receives the lowest average rating in both retail and manufacturing.

The findings put accountability at the center of AI investment decisions: who can authorize an action, when human review is required and how the business will measure the results.

"When AI recommends buying more inventory, acting on that recommendation commits cash. The technology team cannot decide on its own how much authority that recommendation should carry," said Laurence Brenig-Jones, VP of Product at RELEX Solutions. "Finance, planning and operations need to agree on when the system can act, when someone must approve a change and what results will justify expanding its role. Those decisions should be part of the investment case from the beginning."

Practitioners want help making AI work in their organization

Asked where they wanted guidance on AI, practitioners most often cited:

• Practical use cases and where to start (32%)
• Strategy, frameworks and roadmaps (30%)
• Peer benchmarks and best practices (23%)
• Proving value and measuring ROI (20%)

​​Governance, risk and security appeared in 15% of those responses,​ ​even though governance received the lowest readiness rating. That contrast suggests practitioners may benefit from making governance a more explicit part of AI planning, alongside use-case selection and ROI.​​​ ​​​ ​​

Retail and manufacturing share a governance gap

​​Retail respondents report stronger AI readiness than their manufacturing and consumer packaged goods peers across all five capabilities assessed. ​​Overall readiness averages 5.3 out of 10 for retail, compared with 4.5 for manufacturing and CPG. ​​The largest differences are in planning process maturity and technology platforms, while governance ranks last in both sectors. ​​​

"Manufacturers can capture measurable value from AI today through proven ML-based forecasting, optimization algorithms based inventory and production planning. The real test is whether it improves decisions when deliveries run late, demand shifts or production capacity is stretched," said Rohit Tripathi, VP of Industry Strategy, CPG and Manufacturing at RELEX. "Leaders need to start with a business problem where better decisions would deliver measurable value, then involve the buying, planning and production teams who will put those decisions into practice. Those teams need the training and support to use and challenge AI recommendations. The case for expanding AI should rest on measurable improvements that hold up in everyday operations."

The Practitioner Pulse builds on RELEX's annual State of Supply Chain report, based on a survey of 514 retail, manufacturing, wholesale and supply chain leaders. The 2026 report found 67% of retail and manufacturing leaders had become more confident in using AI for supply chain decisions, while 54% preferred AI to make recommendations with humans making the final decision. The Practitioner Pulse adds a closer look at the organizational capabilities supporting those ambitions.

For more information about the Practitioner Pulse findings, click here.

Methodology

The RELEX State of Supply Chain AI Practitioner Pulse is based on intake surveys completed by registrants for five cohorts of the 2026 ​​RELEX AI Masterclass Series. ​​The analysis includes 108 respondents from 80 organizations across retail, manufacturing, consumer packaged goods and distribution. Participants rated their organizations' readiness across five areas on a 1-10 scale. Results reflect self-assessed readiness from a self-selected sample and are not representative of the industries as a whole.