Building Resilient Supply Chains: AI, Automation & Policy
- Date
- 2026-03-17
- Location
- San Jose, CA, USA
- Host
- CMU Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship Events
About this event
Supply chains are being pushed from every direction at once: shifting demand, labor constraints, geopolitical pressure, rising expectations for speed, and the need for better visibility across every handoff. At the same time, AI, automation, and policy are no longer abstract forces in the background—they are actively reshaping how products get built, moved, sourced, and delivered. This event is designed for people who want to understand that shift clearly and talk about it with others who are working through the same questions. About the Event Building Resilient Supply Chains: AI, Automation & Policy is an in-person gathering in San Jose focused on one practical question: how do we build supply networks that can adapt under pressure without becoming slower, more fragile, or harder to manage? This is a conversation for people operating at the intersection of technology, manufacturing, logistics, and decision-making. Rather than treating AI, automation, and policy as separate topics, the event brings them together in one room—because in the real world, they affect the same systems, budgets, timelines, and teams. Expect a grounded discussion that looks beyond headlines. Resilience is not just about reacting to disruption after it happens. It is about designing processes, tools, and operating models that make disruptions less damaging in the first place. The format is built to encourage useful exchange. Whether you are deep in operations, building technical products, evaluating strategic investments, or trying to understand where policy is changing the rules, this event gives you a place to compare perspectives and sharpen your thinking. What to Expect The evening will center on the real operating challenges facing modern supply chains and the technologies and frameworks being used to address them. You can expect discussion around themes such as: AI for forecasting and planning: where machine learning can improve visibility, demand sensing, risk detection, and decision support Automation across manufacturing and logistics: how autonomy, robotics, and workflow automation change throughput, labor models, quality, and flexibility Policy and regulatory pressure: how national strategy, trade shifts, compliance requirements, and industrial policy influence sourcing, production, and investment decisions Resilience as a design principle: what it means to build systems that can absorb shocks without constant fire drills The value of an event like this is in the mix of viewpoints. A founder may be thinking about deployment speed and product-market fit. An operator may care most about supplier reliability, lead times, and inventory exposure. A manufacturing leader may be focused on plant efficiency and adoption barriers. A policy-aware strategist may be watching incentives, restrictions, and regional realignment. Putting those perspectives together creates a more honest conversation. You should also expect meaningful peer interaction, not just passive listening. This is a strong setting for asking practical questions, pressure-testing assumptions, and hearing how others are navigating similar constraints in very different environments. Come ready to discuss what is actually working, where the hype is getting ahead of reality, and which decisions matter most over the next few years. Why Attend If you work anywhere near supply chains today, you already know the stakes are high. Small weaknesses compound quickly: one planning blind spot can become delayed production, missed revenue, excess inventory, or customer frustration. Resilience is not a side topic anymore—it is central to how companies compete. This event helps you connect big trends to operational decisions. AI and automation can sound promising in theory, but implementation depends on messy realities: data quality, process design, integration, workforce adoption, capital constraints, and timing. A useful conversation is one that acknowledges all of that while still identifying where progress is possible. Attending can help you: See the bigger picture connecting technology choices, operational risk, and policy shifts Get more precise about where AI and automation can create value versus where they add complexity Learn from peers facing similar bottlenecks, tradeoffs, and deployment challenges Build stronger judgment around resilience strategies that are practical, not performative Expand your network with people thinking seriously about the future of manufacturing, supply, and autonomy For some attendees, the biggest takeaway will be strategic clarity. For others, it may be a better framework for evaluating vendors, prioritizing initiatives, or anticipating external change. Either way, the goal is to leave with sharper questions, better context, and more useful connections than you had when you arrived. Practical Details This event will take place in person in San Jose, USA on Monday, March 16 at 6:30 PM PDT. Being in the room matters for this topic. Supply chain resilience is cross-functional by nature, and in-person discussion makes it easier to get into the nuance: the tradeoffs, the edge cases, the implementation realities, and the disagreements that are often the most informative part of the conversation. A few reasons to plan ahead: Arrive on time so you can settle in before the discussion begins Bring your questions about AI, manufacturing, autonomy, sourcing, logistics, or policy impacts Expect a thoughtful crowd of people interested in the future of industrial systems and operational resilience Be ready to participate if you want the most value from the evening If your work touches supply networks in any way—whether directly in operations or indirectly through technology, investment, research, or strategy—this is a timely opportunity to step back, compare notes, and think more clearly about where the field is heading.
Who should attend
This is for people who want a sharper, more practical understanding of how AI, automation, and policy are changing supply chains right now. - You work in **supply chain, logistics, procurement, or operations** and want better frameworks for managing disruption, visibility, and execution risk. - You are in **manufacturing or industrial leadership** and are evaluating how automation, autonomy, and process redesign could improve resilience without creating new bottlenecks. - You build or deploy **AI, robotics, or enterprise software** and want to hear how operators think about adoption, integration, trust, and ROI in real environments. - You are a **founder, product leader, or investor** looking at the future of industrial systems and want direct insight into where urgency, demand, and practical opportunity are emerging. - You follow **policy, trade, or regulatory shifts** and want to understand how those decisions translate into sourcing strategies, production footprints, and operational planning. - You are part of the broader **San Jose technology and manufacturing community** and want to meet others working on the same resilience challenges from different angles. If you care less about hype and more about what is actually changing in the field, you will likely find your people here.