The future is all about AI, and supply chains are no exception. Changes in the ways of working driven by AI and agentic AI is the number one driver redefining global supply chains1, and 8 in 10 executives expect autonomous business to be the dominant form of business by 20302.
However, how exactly we’re going to reach that future seems less clear. 77% of CEOs believe their current operating models aren’t enough for success in an AI-driven era3, and 71% of supply chains operate with informal, ad hoc, or no AI strategy at all4.
These and many other intriguing insights were shared at the Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo™ 2026. OpenText, once again, sponsored the conferences in both Orlando and Barcelona, and here are some of the highlights from the wealth of information and perspectives shared by analysts and other speakers.
Scaling AI requires a solid data foundation and a change in the operating model
The top three challenges for scaling AI in organizations include poor data quality, lack of organizational readiness, and difficulties with integrating AI pilots. In navigating these challenges, leaders are encouraged to take a bimodal approach to balance short-term gains with longer-term transformation.
AI-ready data foundation
Getting enterprise data AI-ready is the most immediate challenge, with most organizations facing a need to start treating their data as an asset and establishing proper governance around it to pursue their AI vision. While this is foundational for scaling AI initiatives, focusing on data quality will likely deliver immediate value around existing business processes, making it worth pursuing even as the broader AI strategy is still taking shape.
AI-native operating model
The bigger transformation that’s needed is aligning the organization with an AI-native approach. The current way organizations have structured their teams and processes is unlikely to enable gaining maximal value from AI, meaning that virtually everything has to be redesigned from the ground up from organizational structures to individual job roles and ways of working.
Balancing the need to drive benefits from AI in the short term while transforming the organization’s operating model is perhaps the biggest challenge faced by leaders over the next several years. Interestingly, according to Gartner, in supply chains the AI transformation is likely to add, not replace, jobs from 2028 onwards. So while supply chain professionals will undergo drastic changes in their roles, the future of supply chains will still have a vital human dimension.
AI speeds up the path towards broader ecosystem collaboration, but barriers remain
According to one Gartner prediction, “by 2029 AI will have realized ecosystem partnership potential and led to new ecosystem relationship roles being created in 40% of supply chains.” While a bit of a mouthful, this extends an earlier prediction that organizations are increasingly competing through participating in collaborative digital ecosystems rather than as discrete companies.
Benefits of ecosystem collaboration
There are several benefits to be gained from ecosystem collaboration which make it worth pursuing. These range from economies of scale and reaching new markets to accelerating innovation and addressing previously unsolvable issues. In short, strategic partnerships between diverse groups of organizations enable them to achieve more together than they could by themselves.
Key barriers to overcome
While the benefits of collaborative ecosystems are appealing and AI is boosting the shift towards them, there are significant barriers that are holding back progress. Perhaps the biggest challenge is building trust between the ecosystem participants, which closely relates to current gaps in data sharing and transparency. Other significant obstacles to overcome include organizational silos within the participating enterprises, lack of bandwidth to coordinate partnerships, and overreliance on direct trading partners as opposed to a wider group of potential collaborators.
Multienterprise collaboration networks are an essential enabler for supply chain orchestration
Supply chain orchestration—the process of prescribing and executing cross-functional supply chain decisions to fulfill specific business outcomes—is a central enabler of the autonomous business era. In turn, multienterprise collaboration networks (MCNs) play a key role in turning supply chain orchestration from concept to reality.
What is a multienterprise collaboration network?
MCNs are solutions that support communities of trading partners across tiers and allow coordination and execution of business processes between them. The key capabilities that an MCN offers include network representation and management, embedded analytics and intelligence, and a range of supply chain application capabilities. In short, they power supply chain collaboration by allowing connectivity between business partners, orchestration of business processes across the connected network, and deep visibility and insights into these processes.
MCN market focus is shifting from application capabilities to true network enablement
Gartner has tracked the MCN market for several years, and the focus used to be on the combination of trading partner integration and supply chain application capabilities. The recent market trends around MCNs seem to point to the growing role of embedded (AI-driven) intelligence that enables organizations to analyze and act on the data exchange in the network, as well as an increased focus on security. Other trends include expansion of industry and vertical specific capabilities, improvements in partner onboarding, and expansion of network coverage.
Build the digital foundation for supply chain orchestration with OpenText
Across all of the highlighted areas—scaling AI, driving deeper ecosystem collaboration, and the evolving role of MCNs—there is a common thread. The need for a solid digital foundation that enables organizations to transform their supply chain operations for the autonomous business era.
Alongside a strong vision and effective strategy, key capabilities that organizations will need on this journey include holistic trading partner connectivity, strong data and process quality management, actionable analytics, and autonomous process execution. OpenText is uniquely positioned to help organizations in these and other areas around secure information management for AI as they proceed to making their business autonomous-ready.
For more information on how OpenText can help your business read more about our solutions or get in touch with our team.
1) 2026 Gartner Future of Supply Chain Survey. Gartner, 2026
2) 2025 Gartner Autonomous Business Study Survey. Gartner, 2025
3) 2025 Gartner CEO and Senior Business Executive Survey. Gartner, 2025
4) 2025 Gartner AI Adoption in Supply Chain Survey. Gartner, 2025
