AI can analyze large amounts of data in order to identify patterns and hidden correlations, which would otherwise take humans considerably longer to comprehend and decipher. It can also be fed with a wide range of variables, which gives the engine more flexibility in its analysis. AI is revolutionising the overall healthcare landscape Automating healthcare is then, perhaps, a result of this changing healthcare landscape and the growing use and rapid adoption of technology. The healthcare sector is experiencing a dramatic shift in how goods and services are delivered. There are several driving factors in this transition, including a shift away from treating shorter episodes of illness towards a greater focus on long-term wellness and prevention. In addition consumers and patients alike show the deviation from and changing expectations.

The current COVID-19 crisis brings new meaning to the term disruption. Organizations and their supply chain managers need new supply chain management best practices -- and fast. Coronavirus panic buying, national lockdowns, sudden changes in buying priorities and shipping challenges are each having a different impact on supply chains. Companies are going to have to face the new reality, which is that we cannot make supply chain decisions based purely on economics, said Tom Derry, CEO of the Institute for Supply Management. Enterprises need to factor in a variety of disruptions, including geopolitical events, weather and health problems.

This is an opinion piece written by Christian Titze, vice president analyst at Gartner. Opinions are the author's own. Control towers are the artificial intelligence (AI) of supply chain. Everyone wants to have it, but nobody quite knows how it works. Supply chain leaders see the term in vendor presentations, usually connected with the promise that a control tower will make the supply chain better, faster and smarter.

What are the key skills supply chain professionals should be developing in an AI-enabled future? "I'm a great believer in great passion," says Ron Castro, Vice President, IBM Supply Chain. And it's just as well given that Ron is responsible for all strategy, execution, and transformation of IBM's US$70Bn global end-to-end supply chain, delivering to clients across more than 170 countries. "Always be as bold and as fast as you can," he says. "I've never looked back in a transformation and thought'Darn it! I wish I had gone slower.' There's always room to be bolder and to go faster."

In 10 years, fewer workers will be tasked to support a growing population of nonworkers, and labor supply will shift to undeveloped regions of the world that are less educated and less technically skilled. Planning for this talent shift is just one area on which supply chain leaders will need to focus to build a successful future supply chain. Supply chain leaders want to make the right business decisions and invest in the right technology to prepare their organization for the future. However, there are so many factors to consider and so many unknown variables that "getting it right" seems almost impossible. "Understanding trends and impacts is a challenging task for supply chain leaders responsible for identifying and putting in place strategies to build the right set of capabilities," says Steven Steutermann, Managing Vice President at Gartner.

Olay Skin Advisor is a mobile app that relies on machine-learning algorithms to analyze skin care needs. The app performs a facial analysis from a consumer's no-makeup selfie and recommends products based on personal data and best practices from skin care experts. The artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled app also collects buying behavior data directly from the consumer and uses that data to determine the demand for and recommend specific products. Supply chain leaders must assess their company's risk culture to determine their readiness to explore and adopt emerging offerings Similarly, FlavorPrint, an AI-based platform introduced by McCormick spinoff Vivanda, determines what is called a "flavor DNA" -- a digital taste identifier that matches consumers to food items. Through this direct customer engagement, FlavorPrint is sensing demand by better understanding customer preference.