AI drives supply chain resilience across growth-stage enterprises

High-tech and manufacturing firms showed stronger resilience gains compared to service-oriented sectors, reflecting the operational intensity of their supply chains and the greater value of predictive, data-driven decision-making.

Artificial intelligence is proving to be a game-changer for supply chain stability, with new evidence showing it significantly enhances companies’ ability to withstand shocks. A comprehensive study published in Sustainability offers one of the most detailed looks yet at how AI adoption improves resilience in corporate supply chains.

The research, titled Research on the Impact of Enterprise Artificial Intelligence on Supply Chain Resilience: Empirical Evidence from Chinese Listed Companies, examines over a decade of data from listed firms to quantify AI’s influence. It reveals that companies investing in AI technologies see measurable gains in their ability to prevent, resist, and recover from disruptions, with digital governance and industry context shaping the scale of the benefits.

How does AI improve supply chain resilience?

The study analyzed 10,489 firm-year observations from Chinese A-share listed companies between 2012 and 2023. To measure resilience, the authors built a multi-dimensional index covering prevention, resistance, and recovery capabilities. They then compared this with AI adoption levels, tracked through text analysis of annual reports and measures of intangible investments.

The results are striking. Firms with greater AI integration reported significantly higher supply chain resilience, with the effect both positive and statistically robust. AI technologies improve supply chain transparency, helping firms monitor risks more effectively and anticipate disruptions. They also strengthen dynamic capabilities such as innovation and absorptive capacity, which enable firms to adapt and respond quickly to changing market conditions.

Notably, the study found that adaptability alone did not serve as a mediator, suggesting that resilience benefits come less from flexibility in real time and more from strengthened innovation systems and improved information flows. These insights mark a shift from previous assumptions that adaptability is the primary driver of resilience.

What role does digital governance play?

The research highlights digital governance as a critical moderator in the relationship between AI and resilience. Companies operating within stronger digital governance environments, where clear policies, infrastructure, and oversight exist, experienced larger resilience gains from AI. The interaction between AI and digital governance was both positive and significant, reinforcing the idea that policy frameworks and governance structures are essential to unlock AI’s full potential.

This finding has major policy implications. It suggests that government initiatives to build digital ecosystems, enforce standards, and ensure secure data environments can magnify the impact of corporate AI investments. For China, where supply chain security has become a strategic priority, digital governance emerges as a decisive factor in helping firms buffer against global uncertainties, trade frictions, and technological competition.

Which firms benefit the most from AI?

The study also investigated how the effects of AI vary across industries and corporate life cycles. High-tech and manufacturing firms showed stronger resilience gains compared to service-oriented sectors, reflecting the operational intensity of their supply chains and the greater value of predictive, data-driven decision-making.

Firm maturity also mattered. Growth-stage and mature companies benefitted more from AI adoption than firms in decline or early infancy. This may be because established organizations have the resources, infrastructure, and market presence to deploy AI at scale and integrate it into complex supply networks.

Another layer of difference appeared between firms that act as supply chain leaders, so-called chain-master firms, and those that are not at the core of networks. Chain-masters saw outsized resilience improvements, likely because their central role makes visibility, coordination, and information-sharing even more critical.

These findings underline that while AI adoption can benefit all firms, the magnitude of its impact depends heavily on sector, size, and strategic positioning.