Companies are expected to spend the next year continuing to invest in artificial intelligence, robotics and other technologies designed to make supply chains faster, more flexible and less dependent on manual decision-making.

According to Gartner's "Top Supply Chain Technology Trends for 2026" report released on June 30, companies are shifting their focus away from using AI to analyze data, and towards using it to automate routine supply chain tasks and decisions. The report also identified several emerging technologies expected to shape supply chains over the coming year, including autonomous AI software, robotics, digital simulations and connected data systems.

“This year’s trends highlight the growing role of AI as the foundation for more autonomous, intelligent and adaptive supply chains,” said Gartner VP analyst and chief of research Christian Titze. 

The report groups those technologies into eight major trends, most of which center around expanding AI's role in day-to-day supply chain management. That includes polyfunctional robots that can take on tasks that go beyond their original design, physical AI and agentic AI that can simultaneously plan and act in specific environments, and decision governance that ensures transparency and compliance.

Taken together, the trends point toward supply chains where software and machines handle more day-to-day operational decisions, while people focus on more strategic roles. Gartner expects those technologies to become more deeply embedded than ever in everyday supply chain operations in the days ahead, as companies look to automate a wider range of routine work.