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From Automation to Autonomy: AI’s Next Role in the Supply Chain.

MIT expert Dr. Maria Jesús Sáenz on the future of AI-powered supply chains

Sep 18, 2026

3 min

Maria Jesús Saénz, PhD
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Artificial intelligence is creating new possibilities across global supply chains, but the bigger story may be how far companies are prepared to rethink the way their supply chains actually operate.

 

A recent Financial Times article, “How AI is reshaping supply chains” looks at how AI is changing supply chain planning, logistics and decision making as organizations search for better ways to manage growing complexity and disruption.

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Among the experts featured is Dr. Maria Jesús Sáenz of the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics (MIT CTL). At MIT CTL, Dr. Sáenz leads work focused on digital supply chain transformation and serves as Executive Director of the MIT Supply Chain Management master's program. Her research examines how AI and digital technologies are changing collaboration, decision making and performance across supply chains.


MIT CTL has long been at the forefront of supply chain research and education, working at the intersection of industry, technology and some of the most pressing challenges facing global supply networks. Today, that increasingly includes understanding where AI can have a meaningful impact and what organizations need to do to put it to work effectively. MIT CTL describes Dr. Sáenz’s insights as part of its ongoing leadership in research spanning AI, digital transformation and supply chain innovation.


For Dr. Sáenz, the potential of AI goes well beyond making existing processes faster. It points toward supply chains that can become increasingly autonomous, learn from changing conditions and adapt the way they operate.


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"It is more automated, more autonomous, more self-learning, self-correcting, more resilient."


But technology alone will not create that transformation. Dr. Sáenz emphasizes the importance of redesigning processes, investing in digital capabilities and establishing a clear strategic vision before organizations deploy new technologies.


That raises some important questions for supply chain leaders:


How autonomous should supply chains become? Where should people remain firmly involved in decision making? Are organizations redesigning their operations around the capabilities of AI, or simply adding new technology to existing processes?


These questions are becoming more important as companies explore the next generation of intelligent supply chains. Dr. Sáenz’s research at MIT CTL provides a valuable perspective on what separates incremental automation from deeper supply chain transformation. Her broader research includes intelligent and autonomous supply chains, AI in supply chains and the ways humans and AI can work together more effectively.


Story Ideas


  • Are autonomous supply chains actually within reach?: What AI can manage today and where human judgment remains essential.


  • What comes after automation?: How self-learning and increasingly autonomous systems could change supply chain planning and execution.


  • AI without the groundwork: Why companies may struggle to realize the benefits of AI without the right data, processes, digital capabilities and strategy.


  • Human and AI decision making: How organizations can determine which supply chain decisions should be automated, supported by AI or left to people.


  • Can AI make supply chains more resilient?: How intelligent systems could help organizations identify changing conditions and respond more quickly to disruption.


  • Beyond the AI pilot: What separates organizations experimenting with AI from those using it to fundamentally rethink supply chain operations.


Read the Financial Times article: How AI is reshaping supply chains


Connect with Dr. Maria Jesús Sáenz  to learn more about her research at the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics on AI, digital transformation, human and AI collaboration, and intelligent supply chains.


Connect with:
Maria Jesús Saénz, PhD

Maria Jesús Saénz, PhD

Director, MIT Digital Supply Chain Transformation Lab | Executive Director, MIT SCM Masters Programs

Dr. Saénz focuses on how fast-evolving technologies and AI reshape E2E value chains and Human-AI collaboration.

Digital TransformationScaling E2E AutomationAI-Driven Supply ChainSupply Chain ResilienceHuman-AI Collaboration
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