Resilient Supply Chain Podcast: AI, Accountability and the Future of Supplier Diversification

In the latest episode of the Resilient Supply Chain Podcast, host Tom Raftery is joined

by Ricky Ho, Founder and CEO of SourceReady, to explore how artificial intelligence

is reshaping supplier discovery, risk management, and diversification strategy. The

discussion examines how relationship-driven sourcing models are being challenged by

geopolitical volatility, tariff exposure, sanctions risk, and increasing regulatory scrutiny.

Raftery opens the conversation with a central tension facing procurement leaders: as AI

tools become more embedded in sourcing decisions, accountability does not disappear.

“In the end, someone’s going to have to take responsibility if there is a mess up,” Ho

notes during the episode. The question is not whether AI will influence supplier

selection, but how organisations govern those decisions.

The episode highlights a structural issue in modern supply chains: concentration risk.

Many companies remain heavily dependent on a single country or region for

production. While cost efficiency has historically driven this approach, Ho argues that

tariffs, trade restrictions, and climate-related disruption have exposed the fragility of

over-concentration.

Beyond tier-one suppliers, the discussion turns to visibility gaps in lower tiers. Customs

data, certification records, sanctions exposure, and supplier-of-supplier relationships

often remain opaque until disruption occurs. According to Ho, AI can process large

volumes of trade and compliance data to surface hidden dependencies and recommend

diversification strategies before risks materialise.

The conversation also reframes cost. Tariff volatility, long shipping lead times,

regulatory changes, and compliance failures represent what Ho describes as “delayed

costs.” They may not appear on the initial purchase order, but they eventually affect

margins, continuity, and reputational risk.

Importantly, the episode does not position AI as a replacement for procurement

professionals. Instead, it presents AI as a decision-support layer capable of scanning

global supplier networks, screening compliance risk, and automating early-stage

supplier outreach. Human judgement, contractual governance, and executive

accountability remain essential.

For supply chain and procurement leaders navigating increasing regulatory complexity

and geopolitical uncertainty, the episode offers a pragmatic look at how data-driven

supplier intelligence can support more resilient operations.

The Supply Chainer