A report commissioned by LogiPharma has revealed changes in the way pharmaceutical supply chains are adopting artificial intelligence, reflecting an industry in transition.
LogiPharma
The 2025 LogiPharma AI Report, based on a survey of 100 senior supply chain leaders across Europe and North America, shows that AI adoption has evolved, with investment shifting from monitoring to intelligence.
Ben Sharples, conference director of LogiPharma, said: “In the last year, AI has progressed from pilots to practical deployment, with its application touching almost every area of the pharmaceutical supply chain.
“In the context of an increasingly unpredictable world, the industry is focused on ensuring it is braced for complexity, moving towards multi-layered resilience, prevention, prediction and contingency.”
The report’s findings indicate that, while investment remains consistent in real-time monitoring, especially in relation to the vulnerabilities of cold chain logistics, AI adoption is now strongest in predictive intelligence. The report found that 64% of respondents were evaluating blockchain and chain-of-custody technologies, alongside data analytics platforms (54%) and AI/ML for predictive risk alerts (53%), indicating a move towards a more proactive approach to resilience.
“Pharmaceutical products safeguard lives, and even minor temperature excursions can compromise efficacy or cause total spoilage,” says Jansen Stafford, Regional Head of Cargo Europe, one of the experts who contributed to the report. “Challenges include multi-modal transitions, customs delays and environmental extremes. Therefore, the focus has moved from basic compliance to complete end-to-end quality assurance, through dedicated infrastructure, expert staff and proactive monitoring to pre-empt risks.”
However, whilst futureproofing and resilience remain top of mind for stakeholders, the report found that the industry’s most popular AI investment is in demand-sensing for new product launches, demonstrating a growing interest and trust in the predictive and creative capabilities of AI tech.
The qualitative responses further confirmed this, with many emphasising the potential of AI to strengthen patient outcomes, from personalised medicine delivery to faster recalls and counterfeit detection. But, according to respondents, this input needs to be balanced with human oversight, with AI not as a decision maker, but a trusted collaborator.
“Customers are seeking transformative solutions that can redefine how they run their operations, not just tools to process transactions,” comments Shabbir Dahod, president and CEO at TraceLink. “What is needed — and what we are creating at TraceLink — is an operating model where artificial intelligence isn’t a bolt-on tool, but a trusted colleague helping leaders respond to events faster, with greater confidence.”
Confidence and trust remain at the heart of industry discussion around the use of AI, with internal resistance (70%) representing one of the biggest challenges to wider implementation. This reflects a broader cultural mistrust of AI in the workplace, a challenge which is being addressed at a governmental level globally. Further barriers highlighted included regulatory uncertainty (58%) and a shortage of skilled talent or AI literacy (48%).
AI and digital transformation will be a core topic of conversation during the upcoming LogiPharma conference in Vienna, 14th to 16th April 2026.
“LogiPharma sees the convergence of supply chain and logistics professionals from around the globe, creating an opportunity for sector leaders to share perspectives and best practice,” said Ben Sharples. “As AI technology advances and the industry works to harness its potential, it has never been more important that we come together as a collective to ensure we maximise the possible benefits – not only for the supply chain, but ultimately for patients.”
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