Planners working with complex supply chains will find that artificial intelligence systems will free them for more interesting work — and could even lead to rising in the company ranks.

We are living in a new wave of automation. Machines are already performing many tasks previously done by humans, and the increased use of various smart technologies such as machine learning means the changes have only begun.

Long tails can get, well, rather long. Some see this as a mandate to hunt down and kill off the items furthest out on the tail.