Supply chain leaders brace for 2026’s constant change, doubling down on AI and talent to build resilience, according to Accenture’s Pulse of Change research.
“Supply chain executives are putting in place the right data strategy and core digital capabilities to adopt and scale AI. They are moving beyond pilots to enterprise‑scale AI, shifting supply chains from managed to increasingly autonomous, human-led systems. This shift is delivering what leaders need most now: built‑in resilience and faster decisions in the face of constant disruptions,” says Kris Timmermans, global supply chain and operations lead at Accenture.
“Supply chain leaders are starting to focus on their workforce, upskilling them to work with AI, introducing new organizational design and reimagining workflows, with humans in the lead. As disruption accelerates, it is becoming increasingly important to bring people along the journey to realize the full value of AI investments,” adds Inge Oosterhuis, global lead for talent and organization for supply chain and operations at Accenture.
Key takeaways:
· Three-quarters (76%) of global supply chain executives anticipate continued higher levels of change and disruption in 2026.
· Yet, their confidence in managing these shifts varies significantly: While they feel most prepared for technological (51%) and talent-related (45%) disruptions, their readiness drops for economic (42%), geopolitical (38%) and environmental (34%) issues, revealing a critical need for broader resilience strategies.
· One-third of supply chain leaders name building resilience as their top strategic priority, and most are doing it intrinsically: Nearly seven out of 10 (69%) are boosting AI and digital tools, almost six out of 10 (59%) are adapting resources to market shifts, and more than half (58%) are improving forecasting and risk management, all core foundations of resilient supply chains.
· Meanwhile, in 2026, 85% of supply chain executives plan to increase AI spending, with over one in five expecting to do so above 20%.
· Further, 30% are testing AI agents, 24% are deploying them and 21% are building them into enterprise AI strategies.
· Leaders are focused on achieving more market independence (71%) and quicker decision-making autonomy (66%), enabled by AI. However, 23% also cite poor data quality and weak integration with business strategy (21%) as challenges.
· Supply chain leaders are fairly split on whether they would increase AI spending (43%) or decrease their investments (43%), showing a balanced approach. On talent, a third of these executives (35%) would continue to hire, while 49% would take a more cautious approach, opting for reduced hiring.
· Both the C-Suite (78%) and supply chain executives (75%) see AI as more beneficial to revenue growth than cost reduction.
· But 16% of supply chain executives state that acquiring or developing the talent needed has been a significant challenge, slightly higher than the C-suite (13%).
· Currently, more than half of the supply chain executives are prioritizing operating models and organizational redesign to embed AI (56%), alongside upskilling workforce to work with AI (53%).
· While attracting and retaining AI and digital talent remains important (51%), investments in change management (48%), responsible AI practices (46%), building AI-literate leadership and a culture of responsible innovation (46%) are also viewed as priorities.
· Executives are anticipating AI will reshape job roles, with 32% of the C‑suite, and 25% of supply chain leaders are expecting fundamental shifts and more than half, in both categories (56%-58%), expecting moderate shifts in 2026.
