OPERATIONS
As such, Sam stresses that procurement professionals need to increase their confidence in using AI, but equally challenging the output instead of simply accepting them. Sam adds:“ Teams need to become confident working with AI itself. 46 % of leaders list aligning human intelligence with AI as a top workforce priority( Skills Dynamics’ 2026 report), so the intent is clearly there. The challenge now is turning that into structured, measurable development rather than just good intentions.” But reskilling shouldn’ t be about data literacy alone,“ it is about developing critical thinking, governance awareness and what I would describe as‘ active scepticism’ around AI recommendations,” says Sam.“ The organisations getting this right are not replacing people with AI. They are enhancing human capability and allowing procurement teams to focus on the areas where human judgment matters most.” Skill Dynamics 2026 report highlights that nine in ten organisations are operating with at least one critical skills gap, and 14 % have no dedicated training budget at all.“ The starting point must be an honest assessment of where the gaps actually are,” Sam adds.“ That means working through each team member’ s skills in detail, what they’ re strong in and where there’ s room for growth, and building a development plan from there rather than applying a one-size-fits-all training approach.”
Equally, Sam stresses that as AI takes on more routine, transactional work, the skills that matter most are the ones it can’ t replicate, like negotiation, relationship building, supplier management and stakeholder communication.“ These are also some of the biggest capability gaps identified in our research, so they need real investment and attention. Importantly, they need to be developed in context, grounded in real commercial situations rather than tick-box training,” he says.
2030 – touchless or just smarter? It is unrealistic to suggest that the future doesn’ t hold far more automated, intelligent and interconnectedthan it is today. Businesses continue to move away from manual, fragmented processes towards embedded, data-rich payment experiences powered by AI and automation. While technologies such as AI and machine learning are already streamlining core P2P tasks, Tulsi stresses that the future isn’ t about creating a‘ touchless’ office.“ People will continue to play an important role in managing complexity, overseeing risk and maintaining strategic supplier partnerships,” she explains.“ As P2P evolves, it’ s about using richer data and insight to support growth, enable smarter decision-making, stronger cashflow management and more resilient supplier relationships. By 2030, these intelligent, connected workflows should be the standard across finance functions.”
68 August 2026