AI is no longer experimental, but rather reshaping how supply chains across the make, move, and sell industries are prioritizing operational, staffing, and data-centric investments, according to the newly released 2025 Agility Index research study from Epicor and Nucleus Research.
“AI is becoming an essential tool in helping supply chain businesses anticipate and respond to inevitable change,” says Kerrie Jordan, chief marketing officer and SVP of product at Epicor. “We’re seeing organizations unlock the agility needed to lead through disruption by not just deploying AI but by building a digital foundation, and workforce behind it.”
Key takeaways:
· More than 56% of supply chain businesses surveyed reported high AI readiness, with many scaling AI across operations, and modernizing their data systems to improve agility and reliability. Within this group, more than 90% are actively creating or investing in AI-specific roles, suggesting that organizations already leveraging AI tools are also the most likely to invest in building dedicated AI talent pipelines.
· The most common roles companies are hiring for include AI logistics and route optimization specialists (38%), supply chain AI data scientists (37.2%), and AI automation engineers (35.4%). Organizations running geopolitical what-if scenarios report higher levels of AI-related hiring.
· More companies are investing in platforms that connect and analyze operational data. These systems, adopted by just over half (50.6%) of all respondents, are now the most widely used data intelligence tools among digitally mature organizations. Companies using them were 1.4 times more likely to have adopted AI applications.
· In Southeast Asia, for example, 61% of respondents cited trade restrictions as their biggest risk, and 73% said they’re actively reworking sourcing strategies.
· A majority of respondents now expect to see returns on their technology investments within 6-18 months.
