How AI is helping the consumer goods sector stay competitive
In a world changing at an unstoppable pace, artificial intelligence is key to anticipating crises and creating products that truly resonate with people.
Who is ready to take the lead, and who will be left behind?
Amid a backdrop of uncertainty, pressure on supply chains, and increasingly demanding consumers, artificial intelligence is beginning to play a decisive role in the consumer goods industry. It is not just about technological efficiency, but about a company’s ability to adapt, endure, and evolve.
Report Presentation
Globant, a digitally native company, has unveiled its new report, “AI-Driven Consumer Goods & Manufacturing,” highlighting that AI adoption in the CPG sector has moved from trend to strategic necessity.
According to the study, companies are accelerating investments and transforming operational models to leverage AI’s potential in optimizing processes, anticipating disruptions, and generating large-scale value.
Santiago Noziglia, CEO of Globant’s Retail, CPG & Automotive AI Studio, emphasizes:
“AI is transforming how we manage supply chains and operations. This is not just about optimization—it’s about resilience, agility, and foresight in an increasingly turbulent market. Initial results are promising, but achieving scale requires time, discipline, and a rigorous integration process. Companies that embed AI across all functions can free human talent to focus on innovation and creating real value for consumers.”
Benefits and Challenges
The report situates this progress in a highly uneven landscape. According to Boston Consulting Group, only 5% of companies globally capture AI value at scale, while generative AI agents—such as co-pilots—already account for 17% of the total value generated by this technology.
For Globant, these figures confirm that early adopters with robust operational models are gaining significant competitive advantages.
The study identifies five key areas where AI is already demonstrating tangible impact in the industry:
1. Real-Time Supply Chain Orchestration
Companies face growing volatility due to logistical disruptions, raw material fluctuations, and shifts in consumer preferences. AI orchestrators provide real-time data, predictive analytics, and automated recommendations, enabling faster, more accurate decisions and improving coordination with partners and distributors.
2. Demand Forecasting
AI models analyze historical data, seasonality, competitive movements, and promotional impacts to generate more precise forecasts. This helps optimize inventory, reduce waste, and plan production more intelligently.
3. Supplier Management and Collaboration
Automation of administrative tasks, such as invoice reconciliation and regulatory compliance, frees teams to focus on strategic decisions. The outcome is a more agile, collaborative, and resilient supply chain.
4. AI Agents in Factories
When combined with IoT data and predictive analytics, AI agents can anticipate failures before they occur and assist operators in problem-solving. This strengthens operational continuity and enhances responsiveness to unforeseen events.
5. Intelligent Procurement
AI-driven procurement solutions monitor supplier performance, market trends, and price fluctuations in real time, enabling more informed decisions and enhancing business competitiveness.
The report also references data from the IBM Institute for Business Value (2025), indicating that over 80% of consumer goods companies consider generative AI a transformative technology, with advancements in content creation, predictive analytics, and supply chain automation.
The Urgency of Adopting AI
Globant warns that delaying AI adoption carries the risk of falling behind competitors who are already optimizing costs, making real-time decisions, and strengthening operations.
Gallup studies (2025) show that AI usage among employees nearly doubled over the past two years, yet many organizations still lack a clear strategy for scaling implementation.
The report emphasizes that the real impact of AI lies not in promises of immediate results, but in the ability to integrate it responsibly, fostering effective collaboration between people and technology, with a focus on measurable outcomes.
Noziglia concludes:
“The future of consumer goods will be defined by companies that apply AI with a strategic vision. It is about establishing strong governance, selecting the right use cases, progressing step by step, and looking beyond efficiency to create real value.”
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