When it comes to customer service automation, have we gone too far, too fast? The Zero100 team ponders how to balance human interaction and self-service in retail and elsewhere in supply chain. Featuring: Chief Content Officer Matt Davis and Chief Research Officer Kevin O’Marah.

You don’t have to imagine a world where you can create a virtual replica of your physical supply chain – the tech is already here. This week, the Zero100 team discusses how leaders can use simulation to pre-model risk, test scenarios, and optimize operations. Featuring: VP Research Strategy Steve Hochman, Chief Research Officer Kevin O’Marah, and Head of Research Analytics Cody Stack.

Automating a desk-based process is one thing. Installing legions of robots on the frontline is another. This week, the Zero100 team unpacks the unique challenges and opportunities of automating factories and warehouses. Featuring: VP Research Strategy Steve Hochman, Principal Analyst Jenna Fink, and Chief Research Officer Kevin O'Marah.

• Fact vs fiction: the future of frontline automation (00:48)
• Unpacking the automation gap between laptop and physical work (4:31)
• Presenting automation to the C-suite: a new business case (8:24)
• Secrets to accelerating your automation journey (11:27)
• Are design constraints holding back innovation? Medtronic thinks so. (13:32)
• How Coca-Cola and Renault use simulation to change the cost equation (16:02)
• Humanoid robots: are they hype or truly useful? (19:03)
• Where humans fit into this more autonomous future (22:44)

What happens when you get 100 of the world’s most influential CSCOs and COOs in a room together? This week, the Zero100 team shares a behind-the-scenes look at Forum 2025, revealing how supply chain leaders are preparing business to cope in troubled times. Featuring: VPs Research Lauren Acoba and Geraint John, and VP of Membership, Daria Crane. 

• What is Zero100 Forum? (1:46)
• Defining “Next Wave Digital” in three key themes (02:52) 
• Attendee attitudes on change, talent, and Trump’s tariffs (4:52)
• Insights on relocation, lobbying, and more from Zero100’s Tariff Playbook (7:52) 
• How leaders are responding to shifting trade dynamics (12:04)
• AI whiplash and the end of tech for tech’s sake (13:50)
• Key challenges for the year ahead (15:30)
• Vinyl, magicians, and more off-stage Forum highlights (17:50)

Governments, corporations, disruptive startups – when it comes to AI, who gets to decide what’s right and wrong? On the Zero100 Podcast, the team waxes philosophical (and then gets practical) about the ethical implementation and regulation of AI for the betterment of supply chain and society. Featuring: Chief Research Officer Kevin O’Marah and Senior Manager, Data Science Julia Dahlgren. 

• Differentiating between AI agents, AGI, and "sentient" AI (00:34)
• What we talk about when we talk about “ethical” AI (3:14)
• What the Industrial Revolution can teach us about AI’s potential impact (6:12)
• The implications of the global power struggle over AI (9:00)
• DeepSeek and AI innovation under political constraint (9:50)
• Could the democratization of AI solve our ethical dilemma? (15:04) 
• The role of leadership (and human goodness) in keeping AI on track (16:10)

Further reading from Zero100:

The Signal: Will AGI Reflect the Best or Worst of Human Nature?

The Signal: AI and the New Gilded Age

Amid tariff drama, AI developments, and geopolitical uncertainty, supply chain leaders are being pulled in all directions – but tapping into C-suite priorities provides some much-needed clarity. On the latest episode of the podcast, the Zero100 team cut through the noise and pull out key lessons for leaders. Featuring: VPs Research Geraint John and Lauren Acoba and Head of Research Analytics Cody Stack.

• The making of our latest report, “The C-Suite Agenda: How Boardroom Priorities Are Reshaping Operations” (4:12)
• How C-suite leaders are responding to tariffs and geopolitical uncertainty (6:01)
• Resilience on offense and the case for lobbying (8:02)
• Why executives are getting serious about partner relationships (11:01)
• How supply chain leaders are wielding AI in the quest for cost savings (13:08)
• Zooming in on IKEA’s AI-powered omnichannel fulfillment system in South Korea (14:20)
• AI agents: What they are and why they matter (15:36)
• Unpacking the C-suite’s labor blind spot and the workforce of the future (17:33)
• How supply chain leaders will need to lead differently (21:37)

Between the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and California’s Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act (CCDAA), supply chain leaders are in for a regulatory wake-up call. But is the challenge of compliance an opportunity in disguise? On the podcast, Zero100 VP Research Steve Hochman and Principal Analyst Jenna Fink discuss how leaders can seize this opportunity to secure a supplier information advantage over competitors.

Members, check out our latest report for me: https://members.zero100.com/the-scope-3-data-revolution/ 

Non-members, check out a preview here: https://zero100.com/the-scope-3-data-revolution/ 

• Setting the stage for the looming Scope 3 wake-up call (00:43)
• What makes tracking Scope 3 emissions so challenging (3:26)
• Why specific calculations trump general assumptions (6:16)
• Is enforceability even possible? (8:57)
• The competitive benefits of tracking Scope 3, beyond compliance (10:00)
• Organizing teams for Scope 3 action (11:30)
• Supplier collaboration stories from Unilever and IKEA (12:56)
• Zooming in on automated tech solutions from Muir.ai, Terralytiq, and Terrascope (15:15)
• Next steps for leaders (20:27)

As President Donald Trump begins his second term, leaders are bracing themselves for sweeping tariffs on goods from China, Mexico, and Canada. At face value, this doesn’t look good for global supply chains. But are disruption and inflation inevitable? In the latest episode of the podcast, Chief Content Officer Matt Davis, VP Research Steve Hochman, and Head of Research Analytics Cody Stack unpack the implications of these proposed policy shifts.

For more insights, visit: https://zero100.com/

Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/zero100inc/

• How supply chain leaders are reacting to the threat of more tariffs (0:44) 
• A summary of Trump’s promised tariffs and their potential impact (2:58) 
• Are trade wars with Canada, China, and Mexico inevitable? (3:44) 
• What we've learned from Trump’s first term (5:28)
• New procurement strategies for the year ahead (7:24)
• Where companies are looking to diversify their operational footprint (11:39)
• Alternative scenarios that might unfold (15:15)
• Why it’s time for companies to get serious about lobbying (17:10)

From tariff threats and inflation to labor disputes and genAI, it’s been a big year for supply chain. To close out 2024, Zero100 Advisory Board members Stephanie Pullings Hart (EVP, Global Head of Operations at Nestlé) and Karin Shanahan (EVP, Global Product Development and Supply at Bristol Myers Squibb), and VP Research Lauren Acoba, dive into the year’s top stories, the tech of tomorrow, and their supply chain priorities for the year ahead.

• Reminiscing about our beloved holiday traditions (0:49)
• Encapsulating 2024 in one word (2:33)
• Addressing the elephant in the room: sustainability (4:52)
• What it really means to be resilient amidst geopolitical tensions (9:30)
• The secrets to building a happy, future-ready workforce (14:18)
• The promise and struggle of implementing AI in supply chain (19:25)
• Some sage wisdom for C-level leaders (24:44)

We may not have a crystal ball, but Zero100's data analysis has identified 10 major shifts supply chain leaders need to watch out for in 2025. This week, the team reveals the rationale behind their predictions and breaks down what they mean for you. Featuring: VP Research Lauren Acoba, Head of Research Analytics Cody Stack, and Content Director Allyssia Alleyne.

Members, get the full rundown of our predictions on the Member’s Hub: https://members.zero100.com/10-for-25/ 

Non-members, check out a preview here: https://zero100.com/10-for-25/ 

• The Zero100 approach to predicting the future (0:49)
• What’s up next for AI adoption (3:10)
• Our wild card prediction for sustainability (4:29)
• Where we think supply chain roles will disappear – and where they'll grow (5:13)
• The org model that’ll separate winners from losers (9:14)
• Our forecast for the growing AI vendor landscape (13:22)
• The secret ingredient for Scope 3 progress (16:22)