Procurement can automate structured, repeatable, and lower-risk work, but it cannot fully automate the commercial judgment, stakeholder influence, supplier relationships, and accountability required for complex sourcing and contracting decisions.

At ProcureCon Indirect West, Joel Mintun, Director, Global Indirect Procurement at GlobalFoundries, explained why context still matters in high-value work: "We can't outsource that accountability to a system." He noted that AI can accelerate contract review, tactical sourcing, analysis, and process steps, but leaders must still weigh urgency, risk appetite, supplier alternatives, and competing business priorities.

The 2026 ProcureCon Insights report An Achievable Future for AI in Procurement found that 66% of procurement leaders believe AI should handle classification and routing on an intelligent intake and orchestration platform while people manage the remaining work. This suggests procurement teams prefer targeted automation, with human oversight retained for decisions that carry commercial, legal, operational, or relationship consequences.

CPOs, digital procurement leaders, and sourcing directors should define where automation can act independently, where it can recommend an action, and where a person must approve or decide. Begin by separating rules-driven processes from judgment-driven work, then establish escalation thresholds for exceptions, contracts, sourcing awards, supplier risk, and high-value commitments.

Join us at ProcureCon West to discuss how procurement teams are increasing automation while protecting the human judgment that drives strategic value.