Planning in the age of AI: the billion-dollar blind spot in your supply chain

Every supply chain makes its biggest bets before the future is known. Capacity, footprint and sourcing are locked in years ahead of demand, and once the steel is in the ground there is no undo button. Now AI is entering planning, and nothing stops it from proposing plans no real operation could execute. This session shows how decision intelligence (probabilistic modeling, simulation and optimization) lets you see the odds before placing the bet, and what AI guardrails look like. First, a biopharma network modeled to bioreactor level and stress-tested against hundreds of demand scenarios over ten years: where capacity runs short, what is at risk, when to invest. Then tariffs: three sourcing strategies, from absorbing costs to dual sourcing, scored on expected return, volatility and downside risk. The case is pharma, but the method is not: it works for virtually any planning problem under uncertainty and constraints, from production and inventory to sourcing, network design and workforce. Key takeaways: - Why unconstrained AI is dangerous in capital-intensive planning, and which guardrails help - How scenario-based optimization replaces gut feeling with evidence - When to build capacity and when to partner Who should attend: supply chain, planning, S&OP and procurement leaders.