Almost every time we talk agentic AI with a procurement team, the meeting grinds to a halt on this point: when can the system be trusted to decide on its own, and when does it need a human second opinion?
Here’s what I’ve learned-both from workshops and my own early mistakes.
Let’s frame it simply. If you ask your agentic AI to source a new supplier, “How does it know if it's confident enough to answer a question?” The reality: it doesn’t always know-and it’s not alone. Early in my own procurement days, I fumbled key supplier conversations because I missed signals only an experienced colleague knew to spot. Humans learn context, flag when unsure, and keep logs. Why should AI be any different?
There’s a curious paradox: “AI can sometimes be massively overconfident, and always boost their egos and say, Hey, your idea is absolutely brilliant.” It's funny-because junior team members do it too. The trick is teaching any agent, human or artificial, when to pause and escalate.
Aatish Dedhia puts this well: “Agents are autonomous systems designed to accomplish multi-step goals and make decisions within procurement processes.” (How Agentic AI is Propelling Procurement Forward, High Trust, industry publication with external research, 2025-09-11).
Back when I started out, I relied on sticky notes, contract labels, and the manager’s nudge about which deals needed sign-off. Proper context and escalation wasn’t optional-it was essential. That’s the model agentic AI should follow.
The sweet spot for agentic procurement? Let AI take the routine, well-labelled decisions, but mandate human review where rules or data get fuzzy. As one industry leader puts it: “Agentic AI marks a shift from systems that wait for instructions to partners that get work done. It is where human expertise meets AI execution in a way that feels practical, not futuristic.” (How Agentic AI is Revolutionizing Procurement Processes | GEP Blog, High Trust, corporate blog with established authorship, 2025-11-07).
The research and playbooks all agree:
You want a procurement process where AI never quietly sweeps uncertainty under the carpet.
Jaggaer’s team explains: “Agentic AI is designed to act with autonomy. It can identify goals, break them into tasks, and execute workflows with minimal human oversight. For procurement, this means moving from reactive operations to a model where AI can manage complex sourcing events, monitor supplier performance, and adjust strategies in real time.” (Agentic AI in Procurement: A Complete Guide - Jaggaer, High Trust, industry expert guide, 2025-08-21).
Agentic AI won’t fix hubris-human or otherwise. But you can design it to be transparent, cautious when needed, and clear about its blind spots. The future isn’t pure automation: it’s partnership, built on shared context and honest escalation. That’s how your organisation gets the best of both worlds-safe, fast, and always ready to call in backup when it matters.
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