Robots, AI and Agents are Vital for Supply Chains This Year

Research firm Gartner has published its top supply chain technology trends for 2026. The analysis centres on AI technologies and their role in supply chain operations.

According to Gartner, advances in AI technologies are enabling supply chain and procurement professionals to generate business value, strengthen resilience and reconsider operating models. The technologies span physical and agentic AI applications.

The firm identified eight top trends shaping supply chain technology in 2026. The trends span governance, intelligent systems and multiagent systems.

The research firm says the themes and trends show a move toward intelligent, self-directed and accountable systems operating across digital and physical environments.

Intelligent AI systems emerge

Christian Titze, VP Analyst and Chief of Research in Gartner's Supply Chain practice, says: "This year's trends highlight the growing role of AI as the foundation for more autonomous, intelligent and adaptive supply chains."

​​​​"As organisations move toward hyperconnected, AI-driven environments, leaders must focus not only on deploying advanced technologies, but also on ensuring they work together to deliver measurable value and long-term resilience."

Autonomy and agency applications

Gartner highlighted polyfunctional robots as a key trend. These machines can perform multiple tasks within a single system, offering a new workforce model particularly in environments facing labour shortages.

Physical AI, which combines AI models with IoT sensors, robotics and automation systems was a top trend. According to the research firm, physical AI enables real-time sensing, analysis and execution across supply chain environments.

Gartner identified agentic AI as a top technology trend in supply chain. The technology can plan, act and adapt to achieve goals in complex environments.

Collaborative multiagent systems enable multiple AI agents to work together across workflows and environments. Gartner says organisations can automate complex, multistep processes and improve scalability and adaptability by using them.

According to The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), AI adoption is growing in supply chain management. A BCG survey found that 44% of companies are deploying AI in supply chain management.

Christian says: "These trends represent more than incremental improvements. They are catalysts for transforming supply chains."

"Organisations that proactively evaluate and integrate these technologies in line with their business objectives will be better positioned to navigate disruption, scale innovation and maintain competitive advantage," he adds.

Gartner has previously predicted that by 2030, 50% of cross-functional supply chain management solutions will use intelligent agents to autonomously execute decisions in the ecosystem.

Governance frameworks develop

Gartner identified intelligent simulation as a top trend.

This integrates AI, machine learning and advanced analytics into simulation models, enabling more dynamic planning across logistics, transportation and warehouse operations.

Another key trend is decision governance. As AI adoption scales, organisations are implementing frameworks and guardrails to govern AI-enabled decision making, ensuring transparency, accountability and compliance.

The other key themes were domain-specific language models – which can be fine-tuned for supply chain use – and product provenance. 

Product provenance enables organisations to trace and verify the origin and journey of products across the supply chain, improving visibility for compliance and quality control purposes.