AI
An assistant or co-pilot? For Stéphane Piat, Senior Vice President of Strategy & Performance at Schneider Electric, the definition of cognitive supply chain also starts with intelligence – but it doesn’ t end there.
“ A cognitive supply chain goes beyond simply using AI for automation or prediction,” says Stéphane.“ It’ s about creating a self-learning, adaptive system that continuously improves by interpreting data in context, understanding cause and effect and making recommendations, or even decisions, in real time.”
According to Stéphane, traditional AI still leans heavily on static models or isolated applications. A cognitive system, on the other hand, is much more‘ alive’; always learning and always adapting.“ It’ s like moving from a smart assistant to a strategic co-pilot,” he adds.
Cognitive automation therefore not only responds more quickly, but helps plan more effectively in the first place.
Predictive intelligence for resilience Ocado’ s automation and AI-backed forecasting give demand planners the tools to manage stock with precision and speed. Instead of waiting for problems to appear, they now receive real-time alerts that highlight potential operational issues before they disrupt KPIs. These alerts help teams identify what could have the biggest impact on cost or service, allowing them to act early rather than react after a stockout.
76 November 2025