Retailers love to burble on about how cool and smart their supply chains are, yet come a crisis like COVID-19, toilet roll and hand sanitizer are suddenly rarer than strong political leadership. The truth is, the weak link remains with the in-store reporting of sales back to local or regional HQ and an inability to respond to fast-moving changes through the supply chain. AI and Bots will help out next time a similar event comes around by dynamically responding to changes across the supply chain. Bots and AI are already well entrenched in our supply chains, but not to the extent retail business leaders would like to think. Even a minor shock can impact individual stores and there are plenty of examples beyond the current crisis.