Muharrem Ergin

Director Digital Process Orchestration Practice

2 min Reading Time ∙

ChatGPT: One Part of the Supply Chain Equation

ChatGPT is a language generation tool that grew its user base to a million in the first five days to market. Ask a simple question, receive a simple answer. Ask a more complex question, receive a more complex answer. But as anyone who interacts with the intricacies of the supply chain landscape can attest to, sometimes answers alone are not enough.

While ChatGPT is fantastic at explaining complex problems, it does not account for the creative process of blending issues with strategies and subsequently producing customized, organization specific, deliverable solutions.  In other words, ChatGPT is an excellent tool for gathering preliminary research and gaining better understanding of the topic at hand, but it is not yet designed to replace nuanced strategic ideas or the targeted execution of these plans.

When our own team recently evaluated the ChatGPT tool, the instant gratification of receiving automated, immediate answers to high-level questions was impressive. From a consultative agency perspective, ChatGPT can be used to enhance orchestrations, remove traditional interfaces and greatly reduce the learning curve on new tools. Because the supply chain industry is ever changing, ChatGPT may allow global organizations to better gather and learn basic benefits and create an awareness of challenges associated with specific technologies, ChatGPT, however, is not a substitute for understanding or producing the requirements associated with a client’s specific business needs, creating an organizational implementation design or providing operational support.

For example, gaining insights on how a specific organization can implement a successful digital adoption specific to their own unique requirements is not a simple process. The orchestrations, interfaces and tools involved in this journey also involve people, behaviors and the adaptability of the organization. Chat GPT answers are helpful as a baseline, but they do not become a strategic solution without analysis and testing. Information does not become a revelation until processes such as digital adoption are comprehensively tested and retested with buy-in from the top down. ChatGPT lacks the ability to understand the correlation to a mission statement, the importance of nourishing business goals or how to market to a targeted audience.

ChatGPT provides specific, algorithm-based answers to prompts entered by the inquirer. However, it cannot replace the collaboration, relationship building and change management many supply chains still find themselves desperately needing for long-term success. Because ChatGPT is a machine learning model, it is only as accurate and dependable as the data it has been trained on. And knowing ChatGPT data has a 2021 baseline, the most up-to-date information may not always be readily available.

While ChatGPT is proficient at describing complicated challenges, it is not a technology centric replacement for the deeper knowledge and strategic insights provided by seasoned supply chain experts. As an initial time saver, resource depository and information hub, the uncharted possibilities of how ChatGPT can be used throughout the supply chain industry are endless. But for detailed scenario planning, change management and ultimately successful solution delivery, there is simply no replacement for comprehensive end-to-end supply chain analysis and execution.

Muharrem Ergin

Director Digital Process Orchestration Practice

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