Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo 2026 Orlando: Day 1 Highlights

We are bringing you news and highlights from the Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo, taking place this week in Orlando, Florida. Below is a collection of the key announcements and insights coming out of the conference. 

On Day 1 from the conference, we are highlighting the Gartner opening keynote presentation on autonomous supply chains, as well as sessions on the future of supply chain and AI predictions for CSCOs. Be sure to check this page throughout the day for updates.

• Gartner Highlights Three Building Blocks for Autonomous Supply Chain Future

Presented by Lindsay Azim, Senior Director Analyst, Gartner

CSCOs are navigating AI‑driven expectations for the next wave of enterprise growth amid intensifying cost pressures and shifting geopolitics. In the Opening Keynote session, Lindsay Azim, Senior Director Analyst at Gartner, discussed how supply chain leaders can reimagine supply chain operations to boldly lead their organizations into the autonomous era.

• “‘Advancements in AI and agentic AI’ was selected by leaders as the top driver redefining supply chain strategy, signaling that supply chains have entered a period of deep change.”

• “Autonomous business is moving from vision to reality, with 8 in 10 executives expecting it to dominate by 2030.” 

• “Gartner predicts that 60% of supply chain disruptions will be resolved without human intervention by 2031.”

• “Autonomous-ready operations require a shift from an automation mindset to an autonomous mindset, balancing exploitation for near-term value with exploration for future advantage.”

• “Autonomous-ready intelligence depends on more than a tech stack because leaders must build a decision stack that combines data, mapped decisions, guardrails and human context.”

• “An autonomous-ready workforce is built through role evolution, not mass replacement, with more versatile roles designed to work alongside AI, agents and robots.”

  
  Journalists can read more in the press release “Gartner Highlights Three Building Blocks for Autonomous Supply Chain Future.”

Presented by Ken Chadwick, Distinguished VP, Advisory, Gartner  

AI advancement is the top force expected to reshape supply chains over the next two years, amid ongoing geopolitical tensions and evolving customer expectations. In this session, Ken Chadwick, Distinguished VP, Advisory at Gartner, outlined how leading organizations are preparing by reimagining work, reshaping the workforce and rewiring partnerships to operate differently in the years ahead.

• “The most influential force redefining supply chain strategy is the way AI and agentic AI are changing how work gets done.” 

• “Organizations will need deep unlearning, not just new learning, because many long-held assumptions about work, talent, technology and supply networks will no longer hold in the future of supply chain.”

• “Leading supply chain organizations are moving beyond using AI to make existing functional processes more efficient and are instead reinventing how work gets done around business problems, redesigned processes and system-wide impact.”

• “Workforce transformation will depend on redefining roles, upskilling talent for the AI era and driving adoption to harness the capabilities of AI, automation and robotics.”

• “As routine interactions become increasingly automated, supply chain leaders will need to build deeper, digitally enabled partnerships grounded in trust, stronger partner capabilities and more strategic collaboration.”
  
  Journalists can receive additional information and/or request an interview with the Gartner expert by contacting Justin Lavelle at justin.lavelle@gartner.com.

Presented by Simon Bailey, VP Analyst, Gartner  

As CEOs prioritize cost efficiency and growth, supply chain leaders are being pushed to deliver both through AI-enabled transformation. In this session, Simon Bailey, VP Analyst at Gartner, discussed the forces Gartner predicts will impact people, processes and profit through 2030.

• “Cost efficiency and growth remain the defining priorities for CEOs and chief supply chain officers, and the question is increasingly how AI will help deliver both.”

• “Seventy-nine percent of CEOs believe AI will have the most significant impact on their industries over the next three years, while only 29% believe their operating model is designed to compete in an AI-dominated world.”

• “By 2028, 40% of supply chains will address AI-ready data quality issues by using AI-enabled data management tools, including vibe coding.”

• “By 2029, AI will unlock ecosystem partnership potential and create new ecosystem relationship roles in 40% of supply chains because people will still be needed to build and sustain trusted partnerships.”

• “By 2030, 75% of supply chain organizations that paused hiring for entry-level roles in 2026 will pay premiums upward of 15% for early-career professionals, highlighting the cost of underinvesting in talent and AI literacy.”
  
  Journalists can receive additional information and/or request an interview with the Gartner expert by contacting Justin Lavelle at justin.lavelle@gartner.com.