Artificial Intelligence in Procurement and Supply Chain Management: Evidence from Uzbekistan

Artificial intelligence is a key technology for purchasing and supply management and its usage is still in a nascent stage. For instance, the Volkswagen "Procurement Strategy 2030" stresses its potential to optimize processes and structures - and this applies to the automotive industry and other organizations worldwide. The successful integration of artificial intelligence technologies into operations and supply chains has been limited to a few organizations so far, yet literature and practical applications are gradually emerging. This constitutes a research opportunity on how artificial intelligence increases the value procurement can provide to the organization. Thus, the goal of the doctoral research is to examine and exploit ideas on how artificial intelligence can be utilized in purchasing and supply management. In the past, procurement organizations have often been one of the last functions to be digitized. However, they must keep up with the digital transformation toward industry 4.0, especially with the capabilities of the negotiation partners in business-to-business marketing and sales functions.