Utilizing AI To Overcome the “Great Supply Chain Disruption” www.mgireservationsandbookings.co.uk

Utilizing AI To Overcome the “Great Supply Chain Disruption”

www.mgireservationsandbookings.co.uk

It likely hasn’t escaped your notice that there seem to be more issues accessing the products you want or need. This is a hallmark of what is being termed the “Great Supply Chain Disruption.” In essence, a range of recent events and challenges have arisen that prevent supply chain companies from operating efficiently or at full capacity.

There are certainly individual issues that must be addressed on a systemic level. However, some can be positively impacted by advanced technology. The rise of our digital landscape has meant that artificial intelligence (AI) tools are more accessible and able to take on a wider variety of tasks.

Inventory Management

One of the primary issues during the “Great Supply Chain Disruption” has to do with inventory. At times this is because of unexpected demand for items, as was evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. At other times, it may be due to reduced access to products and raw materials. In either case, disruption can often be mitigated through effective inventory management practices.

This is where AI is already instrumental in making e-commerce businesses more competitive and agile. Alongside elements like chatbots and better personalization, AI platforms can bolster inventory management and forecasting capabilities. This involves the software analyzing historical ordering data alongside the fluctuations of the market. It then uses this information to make predictions about the needs for products or raw material ordering well in advance.

However, it’s also important to understand the limitations of AI in inventory management. These machine learning systems only tend to be effective if they have access to high-quality data sets. As such, it’s important for companies in the supply chain to consider this when making their investments. Either they have to utilize platforms that already provide access to the best market information, or work alongside data analysts to identify and gather relevant data resources.

Delays and Errors

Disruptions to the supply chain aren’t just limited to insufficient products to ship. There can also be issues within the efficiency of processes that can impact companies’ ability to get products to consumers. Delays and errors can be caused by a wide variety of elements. This includes skills gaps in the workforce, poor machine maintenance, and ineffective shipping decisions. AI can be utilized to mitigate issues here too.

AI’s role in automating a greater range of practices can certainly reduce the potential for human error to disrupt the process. However, the positive influence goes further. Sensors on devices in the industrial internet of things (IIoT) can collect data throughout every step of the supply chain, from production to delivery. AI software can then analyze the information to make suggestions to managers on areas for efficiency improvement. It can also monitor machines and provide recommendations for timely maintenance.

It’s also worth considering that shipping procedures may be a cause of delays and errors. More effective delivery tracking isn’t just useful for consumers to know where their products are. The data collected by sensors on the vehicle can be fed to AI-driven route management software. These platforms analyze both the position of vehicles and traffic conditions. This means that managers can update routes in real-time to avoid unnecessary delays when unexpected hurdles arise.

Labor Shortages

When discussing AI and labor, it’s not unusual to go down the sci-fi route of androids and biomechanical enhancements. There’s certainly some rising AI tech that can fall into that area. For instance, Elon Musk’s proposed Neuralink technology is intended to improve neurological, psychological, and physical functioning through the use of brain-machine interfaces. However, we are still likely some way off from this type of human-and-machine AI integration from being commonplace. At the moment, AI with respect to labor is usually in relation to data-led software that helps mitigate shortages.

It’s no secret that many industries, including those in the supply chain, are struggling as a result of continued labor shortages. A lack of qualified professionals naturally contributes to disruptions in the chain. As such, AI-driven recruitment tools can help to fill positions more efficiently and effectively. These programs automate everything from predicting future hiring needs to screening potential candidates. This not only minimizes shortages but also helps improve the quality of candidates that can influence the business positively in the long term.

It’s also important to recognize the impact the presence of these AI tools has on the workforce. The more such tools are incorporated into processes, the greater the need is for employees that can effectively collaborate with them. This means that companies may need to provide tech training to even entry-level workers. Continued skills development can improve work satisfaction and employee self-esteem. In turn, there can be a boost to retention rates that prevent further disruptions.

Conclusion

Artificial intelligence has an increasing presence in the supply chain. Some of these applications have the ability to positively impact disruptions the industry and consumers are facing. Inventory management software can make more accurate forecasts that improve companies’ stocking practices. Automated tools in the IIoT can assess and analyze processes to make efficiency recommendations. AI recruitment platforms can also minimize disruption from labor shortages. The supply chain is one of the most valuable global sectors and we can expect to see greater adoption of AI to help address issues.

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University of Johannesburg making AI courses compulsory for all qualifications

The University of Johannesburg is making artificial intelligence (AI) courses compulsory in all qualifications offered at the learning institution.

The news came from the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies’ AI Institute launch, for which it partnered with the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and Tshwane University of Technology (TUT).

“The study of Artificial Intelligence is being made a compulsory course in all qualifications in the University of Johannesburg to empower its graduates to advance in all areas of work,” UJ Vice-Chancellor and Principal Tshilidzi Marwala said.

At the launch, communications minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said the AI Institute of South Africa (AIISA) would help the country’s youth avoid unemployment and become job creators in their own space.

She specified that the initiative would have two hubs in South Africa, one at TUT and the other at UJ’s Johannesburg Business School.

“Their hubs will have demonstrated an array of initiatives that [through which] they have grasped the implementation of AI as a tool for economic advancement in various sectors,” Ntshavheni said.

“The ultimate goal of the institute is the creation of a network of AI hubs linked to key catalytic projects across the country and centres of excellence across the continent.”

She explained that the project involves consolidating work already underway rather than building it from the ground up.

She said universities in South Africa would no longer churn out graduates that “are going to walk the streets of unemployment”.

“They are going to churn out graduates that are going to make a meaningful contribution in society and become job creators in their own space because they would have learned about AI,” Ntshavheni added.

She also explained that each university hub would work in line with its areas of strength.

“Professor Maluleke has explained some of the areas in terms of TUT, which includes automotive manufacturing, transport, tourism, telecommunications, farming, [and] healthcare sectors,” Ntshavheni said.

“The UJ hub will focus on industries such as the value chain of manufacturing, retail, agriculture and farming, digital mining, the energy sector, fintech, digital banking, digital identity, and the criminal justice system.”

Both higher learning institutes’ vice-chancellors say they are on board with the initiative and believe it is critical to South Africa’s future.

Marwala, a Presidential Commission on the Fourth Industrial Revolution (PC4IR) member, said the initiative aligns with the commission’s goals.

He said that he and his colleagues in the PC4IR began to establish recommendations to assist the government in taking advantage of the opportunities presented by the digital industrial revolution in 2019.

“It was apparent that the establishment of an artificial intelligence (AI) institute sat at the heart of our strategy,” Marwala said.

“The recommendation to develop the institute was centred around a need to establish a common base to focus on the application of AI to health, agriculture, finance, mining, manufacturing, and government alongside regulations.”

“TUT had no choice but to heed the minister’s call that we join hands with the department and UJ in the establishment of one of the most significant institutes established in this country in recent years, namely the AIISA,” TUT vice-chancellor Tinyiko Maluleke said.

“This key institute will become the nerve centre from which we shall shape our connected future as a country. A digital future which beckons all countries of the world.”

Innovative technique uses AI and a digital camera to monitor blood pressure

Monitoring blood pressure using a digital camera could soon be the norm, thanks to an innovative technique demonstrated by Australian and Iraqi researchers.

Using the same remote-health technology they pioneered to monitor vital health signs from a distance, engineers from the University of South Australia and Baghdad’s Middle Technical University have designed a non-contact system to accurately measure systolic and diastolic pressure.

It could replace the existing uncomfortable and cumbersome method of strapping an inflatable cuff to a patient’s arm or wrist, the researchers claim.

In a new paper published in Inventions, the researchers describe the technique, which involves filming a person from a short distance for 10 seconds and extracting cardiac signals from two regions in the forehead, using artificial intelligence algorithms.

The systolic and diastolic readings were around 90 per cent accurate, compared to the existing instrument (a digital sphygmomanometer) used to measure blood pressure, that is itself subject to errors.

Experiments were performed on 25 people with different skin tones and under changing light conditions, overcoming the limitations reported in previous studies.

“Monitoring blood pressure is essential to detect and manage cardiovascular diseases, the leading cause of global mortality, responsible for almost 18 million deaths in 2019,” UniSA remote sensing engineer Professor Javaan Chahl says.

Furthermore, in the past 30 years, the number of adults with hypertension has risen from 650 million to 1.28 billion worldwide. The health sector needs a system that can accurately measure blood pressure and assess cardiovascular risks when physical contact with

patients is unsafe or difficult, such as during the recent COVID outbreak. If we can perfect this technique, it will help manage one of the most serious health challenges facing the world today.”?

Professor Javaan Chahl, UniSA Remote Sensing Engineer

The cutting-edge technology has come a long way since 2017, when the UniSA and Iraqi research team demonstrated image-processing algorithms that could extract a human’s heart rate from drone video.

In the past five years the researchers have developed algorithms to measure other vital signs, including breathing rates from 50 meters away, oxygen saturation, temperature, and jaundice in newborns.

Their non-contact technology was also deployed in the United States during the pandemic to monitor for signs of COVID-19 from a distance.

certainly individual issues that must be addressed on a systemic level. However, some can be positively impacted by advanced technology. The rise of our digital landscape has meant that artificial intelligence (AI) tools are more accessible and able to take on a wider variety of tasks.

We’re going to look at a few of the ways companies are utilizing AI to overcome the “Great Supply Chain Disruption.”

Inventory Management

One of the primary issues during the “Great Supply Chain Disruption” has to do with inventory. At times this is because of unexpected demand for items, as was evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. At other times, it may be due to reduced access to products and raw materials. In either case, disruption can often be mitigated through effective inventory management practices.

This is where AI is already instrumental in making e-commerce businesses more competitive and agile. Alongside elements like chatbots and better personalization, AI platforms can bolster inventory management and forecasting capabilities. This involves the software analyzing historical ordering data alongside the fluctuations of the market. It then uses this information to make predictions about the needs for products or raw material ordering well in advance.

However, it’s also important to understand the limitations of AI in inventory management. These machine learning systems only tend to be effective if they have access to high-quality data sets. As such, it’s important for companies in the supply chain to consider this when making their investments. Either they have to utilize platforms that already provide access to the best market information, or work alongside data analysts to identify and gather relevant data resources.

Delays and Errors

Disruptions to the supply chain aren’t just limited to insufficient products to ship. There can also be issues within the efficiency of processes that can impact companies’ ability to get products to consumers. Delays and errors can be caused by a wide variety of elements. This includes skills gaps in the workforce, poor machine maintenance, and ineffective shipping decisions. AI can be utilized to mitigate issues here too.

AI’s role in automating a greater range of practices can certainly reduce the potential for human error to disrupt the process. However, the positive influence goes further. Sensors on devices in the industrial internet of things (IIoT) can collect data throughout every step of the supply chain, from production to delivery. AI software can then analyze the information to make suggestions to managers on areas for efficiency improvement. It can also monitor machines and provide recommendations for timely maintenance.

It’s also worth considering that shipping procedures may be a cause of delays and errors. More effective delivery tracking isn’t just useful for consumers to know where their products are. The data collected by sensors on the vehicle can be fed to AI-driven route management software. These platforms analyze both the position of vehicles and traffic conditions. This means that managers can update routes in real-time to avoid unnecessary delays when unexpected hurdles arise.

Labor Shortages

When discussing AI and labor, it’s not unusual to go down the sci-fi route of androids and biomechanical enhancements. There’s certainly some rising AI tech that can fall into that area. For instance, Elon Musk’s proposed Neuralink technology is intended to improve neurological, psychological, and physical functioning through the use of brain-machine interfaces. However, we are still likely some way off from this type of human-and-machine AI integration from being commonplace. At the moment, AI with respect to labor is usually in relation to data-led software that helps mitigate shortages.

It’s no secret that many industries, including those in the supply chain, are struggling as a result of continued labor shortages. A lack of qualified professionals naturally contributes to disruptions in the chain. As such, AI-driven recruitment tools can help to fill positions more efficiently and effectively. These programs automate everything from predicting future hiring needs to screening potential candidates. This not only minimizes shortages but also helps improve the quality of candidates that can influence the business positively in the long term.

It’s also important to recognize the impact the presence of these AI tools has on the workforce. The more such tools are incorporated into processes, the greater the need is for employees that can effectively collaborate with them. This means that companies may need to provide tech training to even entry-level workers. Continued skills development can improve work satisfaction and employee self-esteem. In turn, there can be a boost to retention rates that prevent further disruptions.

Conclusion

Artificial intelligence has an increasing presence in the supply chain. Some of these applications have the ability to positively impact disruptions the industry and consumers are facing. Inventory management software can make more accurate forecasts that improve companies’ stocking practices. Automated tools in the IIoT can assess and analyze processes to make efficiency recommendations. AI recruitment platforms can also minimize disruption from labor shortages. The supply chain is one of the most valuable global sectors and we can expect to see greater adoption of AI to help address issues.

________________________________________

About the Author:

Sam Bowman is a published freelance writer from the West Coast who specializes in healthcare tech and artificial intelligence content. His experience in patient care directly translates into his work and his passion for industry technologies influences the content he creates. Sam has worked for years – directly in, and writing about – healthcare technology and the many benefits it offers to patients and doctors alike. He loves to watch as medical tech and business software grow and develop, ushering in a modern age of industry.