Technology, Talent Top Concerns

Change continues to be the constant state of affairs for the supply chain. And this trend is expected to continue in 2026, as 76% of global supply chain executives anticipate continued higher levels of change and disruption, according to Accenture’s latest Pulse of Change.

The report surveyed 3,650 C-suite leaders and 3,350 employees, including 400 Chief Operating Officers, Chief Supply Chain & Operations Officers, Chief Production Officers, and R&D leads from the world’s largest organizations across 20 industries and 20 countries, on their AI investments and talent development plans in 2026. 

When asked about their confidence in managing, 51% said they were prepared for technological change and 45% felt ready for talent-related disruptions.

However, just 42% felt prepared for economic change, 38% for geopolitical change and 34% for environmental change.

Companies are turning to AI to help navigate the changes. “Supply chain executives are putting in place the right data strategy and core digital capabilities to adopt and scale AI," said Kris Timmermans, global supply chain and operations lead at Accenture.

”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.”

Building resilient supply chains with AI

One-third of supply chain leaders name building resilience as their top strategic priority, and most are doing it intrinsically: Nearly seven out of ten (69%) are boosting AI and digital tools, almost six out of ten (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%.

Furthermore, 30% are testing AI agents, 24% are deploying them, and 21% are integrating 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.