PROCUREMENT STRATEGY

Ben agrees, but is direct about where the boundary sits.“ AI is incredibly effective at handling repetitive, data-intensive work. It can analyse information, generate documents, surface insights and recommend next steps far faster than humans can. That is where it creates the most value,” he explains.

“ But procurement decisions often involve ethics, risk, supplier relationships and mission priorities. Those are areas where human judgment remains essential. AI is helping procurement professionals make better decisions, while humans remain accountable for the outcomes.”

For instance, agent AI can help present a list of suppliers with cost options, but the selection of a critical supplier will remain human-led.“ The success of agentic procurement relies on intelligent delegation. AI can execute the workflow, but people must provide direction, quality control and accountability to maximise the strengths of agentic AI and unleash its potential,” says Michelle.

The next generation of procurement leaders As automation and AI absorb a significant workload of repetitive tasks that would have otherwise suffocated procurement capacity, the skills that matter most are moving up the value chain.

“ It becomes less about understanding processes and admin, but about problem-solving and strategy,” says Michelle.

of CPOs now prioritise user experience as a top three KPI for digital transformation programmes, up from just 40 % in 2020

“ The next generation of procurement professionals will need to be commercially curious, analytically strong and confident working with AI and automation as part of daily decision-making. They will need to know how to brief AI agents properly, challenge the outputs, spot gaps and apply judgment.”

That judgment is critical.“ AI can gather information quickly, but it cannot fully understand every nuance of a supplier relationship, brand promise, customer expectation or long-term commercial trade-off. The best procurement people will be those who combine technology with commercial instinct, supplier knowledge and strategic vision,” says Michelle.

For Ben, the trajectory of where this is all heading is already clear.

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