The Magic Conveyor Belt: Supply Chains, A.I., and the Future of Work

I’m pleased to share with you my latest book, The Magic Conveyor Belt: Supply Chains, A.I., and the Future of Work .

Supply chains were thrust into the mainstream amid the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020, and in common parlance, the pandemic is said to have “broken” the supply chains. But contrary to that media narrative, seasoned supply chain professionals know that supply chains continued to function, despite being put under tremendous strain. The many supply chain disruptions between 2020 and 2022 revealed how interconnected and complex global supply chains are—considering the unfathomably vast networks made up of countless layers, the miracle is really that supply chains actually work at all, and that they usually work so well that they go unnoticed.

Really, at the center of supply chains past, present, and future are humans. A supply chain is nothing if not a vast, complex network of people without whom nothing would ever move from one point in the supply chain to another. Humans have worked tirelessly by planning, making, moving, storing, delivering, and managing the movement and storage of materials, parts, and finished products to bring the world what it needs at affordable prices. And more so during and in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Though the continuing growth of AI continues to alter the way in which we work, it is still humans who are the vital links all along the supply chain, holding everything together. While machines can automate many repetitive tasks and handle vast amounts of information, they cannot use their empathy, creativity, and understanding of context the way humans can.

For instance, it is important to realize how amazing, yet taken for granted, the human ability to apply context is. Applying context is the basic process by which people understand other people, situations, ideas, and challenges. People respond to stimuli based on the context of the issue at hand. It is difficult for AI to apply human context. Thus, tell a robot to bring a wrench from the machine shop and the robot will do it. Tell it to “help with the stupid generator” and the robot will be at a loss.

Thus, while discussion around the growth of AI and automation is often framed by job replacement, I believe we'll mainly see job augmentation from these new technologies. While some jobs may be lost, many new jobs in new industries will be created. Humans will find it easier and have much more energy to help with the stupid generator when there’s an automated tool to diagnose every part of the generator a human might have previously had to run through manually. Jobs and job tasks will shift. Thus humans will need to be flexible and adapt to changing conditions, but it's precisely this flexibility, adaptability, and creativity that will ensure that human ingenuity is always in demand.

These new technologies hold a lot of promise to revolutionize the workplace. It’s a fascinating discussion to have at a fascinating time. I hope you take a moment to read?and reflect on the ideas discussed (even if you disagree!).

Further reading