Supply Chain 2050: AI, Robotics, and Trust in the Physical World

Supply chain transformation is no longer just about efficiency. It is about resilience, intelligence, and trust across every layer of the system.

In this episode, Reid Jackson and Liz Sertl were at GS1 Connect. Melanie Hilton sat down with Miguel Rodriguez Garcia from MIT, Frederik Bohn from Plug and Play Tech Center, and Lisa Morales-Hellebo from REFASHIOND Ventures to explore what supply chains could look like in 2050 and the challenges that must be solved today to get there.

The conversation spans cybersecurity risks that now extend into physical operations, the rise of robotics in logistics, and the growing need for verified, trustworthy data across global networks. The guests also explore how interoperability gaps inside large enterprises slow progress, why collaboration remains one of the biggest barriers across industries, and how emerging approaches like AI agents and materials verification could reshape decision making. Together, they highlight that the future supply chain will depend on aligning technology, standards, and human behavior in ways that are still being defined.

This is more than a discussion about emerging technology. It is an exploration of how supply chains must evolve into connected, transparent, and adaptive systems where data integrity, automation, and cross-industry collaboration determine long term success.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How cybersecurity is evolving from a digital risk into a physical supply chain challenge

• How robotics and automation are already reshaping warehouse and logistics operations

• Why data trust and verification are becoming essential for future supply chain systems
  
  

Things to listen for:
(00:00) Opening remarks from Reid Jackson and Liz Sertl introducing the GS1 Connect session
(01:26) Framing the 2050 supply chain discussion and key themes
(07:40) Cybersecurity threats expanding into physical supply chain operations
(11:00) Robotics moving from experimental to real warehouse deployment
(15:00) Trust and verification of physical materials through data and scanning
(19:30) Collaboration challenges across industries and supplier ecosystems
(23:10) Interoperability gaps inside large enterprise systems
(26:00) AI agents, hallucinations, and the importance of data quality
(30:46) Real world visibility innovations using highway camera data networks
(32:38) The future vision of standardized machine communication and interoperability

Connect with GS1 US:
Our website - www.gs1us.org
GS1 US on LinkedIn

Connect with the speakers:
Melanie Hilton on LinkedIn
Miguel Rodriguez Garcia on LinkedIn
Massachusetts Institute of Technology at https://web.mit.edu/
Lisa Morales-Hellebo on LinkedIn
REFASHIOND Ventures at https://www.refashiond.com/
Frederik Bohn on LinkedIn
Plug and Play Tech Center. at https://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/