Economist Impact Report: How AI Agents Are Reshaping Procurement and Supply Chains
Forty percent of firms are already using AI agents in cross-functional roles, and another third are piloting isolated use cases, according to a new Economist Impact survey.*
As the next evolution of AI in supply chains, these agents are gaining traction fast, and two things are clear: Businesses are ready to experiment, and they see AI agents as co-pilots, not autopilots.
A new survey-based Economist Impact-GEP report, How Far Will AI Agents Go? The Advance of AI Tools and Agents Into Procurement and Supply Chains, explores how organizations are deploying AI agents, where they’re seeing impact, the roadblocks, and what it will take to move from pilots to a real advantage.
It’s a must-read for procurement and supply chain leaders preparing for the next wave of intelligent automation.
*Economist Impact and GEP survey conducted between January and March of 2025 of over 400 executives in the US and Europe who were familiar with their organization’s supply-chain strategy and operations.
Why Read This Report
AI Adoption by the Numbers
Survey insights on where AI agents are gaining traction and where firms are holding back
Top Use Cases
Procurement tasks with structured workflows are seeing the highest adoption of AI agents
Overcoming Barriers
How leaders are tackling challenges like siloed data, unclear ROI and workforce readiness
AI Agents in Action: What Comes Next for Procurement & Supply Chains — Read Now
About Us
GEP® delivers AI-native procurement and supply chain solutions that help global enterprises become more agile and resilient, operate more efficiently and effectively, gain competitive advantage, boost profitability and increase shareholder value.
Fresh thinking, innovative products, unrivaled domain expertise, smart, passionate people — this is how GEP SOFTWARE™, GEP STRATEGY™ and GEP MANAGED SERVICES™ together deliver procurement and supply chain solutions of unprecedented scale, power and effectiveness. Our customers are the world’s best companies, including more than 1,000 Fortune 500 and Global 2000 industry leaders who rely on GEP to meet ambitious strategic, financial and operational goals.
A leader in multiple Gartner Magic Quadrants, GEP’s AI-native procurement and supply chain platform consistently wins awards and recognition from industry analysts, research firms and media outlets, including Gartner, Forrester, IDC, ISG, and Spend Matters.
GEP is also regularly ranked a top procurement and supply chain consulting and strategy firm, and a leading managed services provider by ALM, Everest Group, NelsonHall, IDC, ISG and HFS, among others.
Headquartered in Clark, New Jersey, GEP has offices and operations centers across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. To learn more, visit www.gep.com.
