Supply Chain Connect The Cost of Waiting: Making AI a Priority in Your Annual Budget
Nov 17, 2025
In this engaging conversation, Dr. Joanne Friedman, CEO and co-founder of ReilAI, a leader in agentic AI for supply chains, emphasizes the critical need for immediate AI investment. She discusses the pitfalls of delaying adoption, highlights the importance of data governance, and offers strategic insights for justifying AI budgets to finance teams. Dr. Friedman also stresses the need for organizations to integrate AI into their core processes, reinforcing that real value comes from aligning AI initiatives with clear business outcomes.
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Cost Of Waiting Is Growing
- The cost of waiting for AI now exceeds the cost of acting because competitors will gain advantage.
- Retiring workers will take tribal knowledge with them, so delaying AI risks permanent loss of expertise.
Prioritize Intelligence Infrastructure
- Budget for the infrastructure of intelligence first: data readiness and governance.
- Run scalable agentic AI pilots or digital twins focused on planning, sourcing, and logistics.
Invest In Integration And Data Provenance
- Allocate funds for integration between MES, ERP, SCM and define human-in training roles.
- Capture human expertise in data by tracking provenance and lineage across systems.