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When it came to this book – The Magic Conveyor Belt, by MIT Professor Yossi Sheffi – I came for the robotics and AI but I stayed for the supply chain story…

Global supply chains are immense feats of technological and organizational sophistication. They are also, as the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic showed, vulnerable to unexpected developments. Will that change as artificial intelligence becomes a bigger part of supply chains? And what will happen to workers in the process? MIT Professor Yossi Sheffi explores these topics in a new book, “The Magic Conveyor Belt: AI, Supply Chains, and the Future of Work,”

Supply chains have long been somewhat mysterious networks — even mysterious to some of the largest companies relying on them. Now, there is an increasing push —driven by both business necessity and government pressure — to open up these essential networks.

In a new book, the founder of MIT’s Center for Transportation and Logistics examines how increasingly automated industries can sustain jobs.

Today artificial intelligence literally moving the world. 

Supply chain and logistic companies recently discovered the value of AI. From loading trucks to predicting the future, machine learning is posed to revolutionize the industry. But how is this happening? How does AI help move real-world objects from point A to point B?

Supply chain challenges predated COVID and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, of course, but both these macro events have turned up the pressure significantly. And while experts note that AI’s value is limited when it comes to dealing with unprecedented events on this scale, they agree that these solutions bring real value.

Professor Yossi Sheffi weighs in, as the US government begins to dispense tens of billions of dollars to get microchip makers to relocate manufacturing to the US, hurdles remain, including an increasingly diversified global supply chain that no one country can dominate.

The World Bank argued differing standards are creating “additional costs and complexity in sourcing decisions”, which may lead companies to keep more of the production process within one country. Professor Yossi Sheffi gives commentary on this “Herculean task”.

The focus on supply chain in the past few years has heightened competition for jobs. The result is a renewed focus on why the supply chain matters. Presented by Professor Yossi Sheffi and Dr. Eva Ponce 

Professor Yossi Sheffi contributes to The Hill. Consumers consistently tell pollsters that they care about the environment. In fact, according to a 2022 report, 66 percent of them said that they are willing to pay more for sustainable products. Prior to the current inflationary trend, other studies reported an even higher proportion. Most corporate managers, however, know that the reality is very different.

Also Published in MIT News.