From The Sourcing Paradox series · Week 1: The gap · First shared on LinkedIn, October 9, 2026
The theory: across procurement, people were quietly stepping back from AI projects. Not because the tools didn't work, but because they feared what the tools meant for their jobs.
If that was true, it mattered more than any adoption figure. You can't build value with AI when the people closest to the work are holding back. So I set out to research it instead of assuming it.
The second reason was harder to admit. I believed we could do better as a profession than what I feared was happening at scale. But I didn't know what good looked like. What does it take to deploy AI so people lean in, and the outcome is the best it can be, not just the fastest saving?
The report is what I found on both questions: what the research says about fear and adoption, and what leaders can do about it.
So I'm curious. Have you seen this in your own team? People going quiet when the AI project comes up, or leaning in?
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This post draws on The Sourcing Paradox, a free Procademai™ report for procurement leaders and professionals.
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