Embracing Ethical AI for Future-Ready Automotive Supply Chains

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AI is revolutionizing the automotive supply chain, but how do leaders harness its potential while staying true to ethical principles? In this episode, hosts Terry Onica and Jan Griffiths dive deep into the transformative power of AI with Dr. Charlotte de Brabandt, Head of IT Partner Management at ZF and a global thought leader on ethical AI. Charlotte's impressive career—spanning roles at Porsche, Volkswagen, Johnson & Johnson, and Amazon—gives her a unique perspective on how ethical AI is transforming the industry.

Charlotte introduces ethical AI as the development of systems that prioritize fairness, transparency, and accountability. She explains how addressing challenges such as bias and privacy during development ensures these systems align with ethical standards. This approach, she explains, not only fosters trust with suppliers and partners but also gives businesses a competitive edge.

For supply chain leaders, Charlotte offers practical insights on integrating AI into procurement and supply chain processes. She explains how AI can automate repetitive tasks, optimize decision-making, and strengthen supplier relationships. Through examples from industry leaders like IBM and Unilever, she shares the benefits of adopting ethical AI, from improving efficiency to meeting sustainability goals.

This transformation, however, requires more than just technology—it demands a cultural shift. How do you ensure AI-driven decisions are fair? How do you build a governance framework to guide ethical AI integration? Most importantly, how do leaders move from the outdated command-and-control approach to a collaborative, trust-based supply chain?

Charlotte's message is clear: The time to start embracing AI is now. The future is here, and the companies that embrace ethical AI today will lead the industry tomorrow. Don't miss this deep dive into the future of ethical AI in the automotive industry!

Themes discussed in this episode:

• The role of ethical AI in fostering fairness, transparency, and accountability in the automotive supply chain
• Why addressing bias and privacy concerns is essential to building trust with suppliers and partners
• How ethical AI can streamline repetitive tasks and enhance decision-making in procurement and supply chain processes
• Examples of successful AI integration in companies like IBM and Unilever
• The cultural shift required to move from command-and-control leadership to collaborative, trust-based partnerships
• The importance of establishing governance frameworks to ensure responsible and ethical use of AI
• Why adopting ethical AI now is critical for gaining a competitive edge and preparing for the industry’s future

Featured on this episode:

Name: Dr. Charlotte Anabelle de Brabandt

Title: Head of IT Partner Management (with Procurement) & Deputy Head of IT Governance and Compliance, ZF Group

About: Dr. Charlotte Anabelle de Brabandt is a recognized digital futurist and procurement expert with over a decade of international experience across industries such as automotive, technology, and pharmaceuticals. She’s a published author, TEDx speaker, ISM 30 under 30 Megawatt Winner, a key member of the (ISM®) Thought Leadership Council, Executive Board member of Global Women Procurement Professionals (GWPP), and Advisory Board member of the Global Council for Diversity and Inclusion in Procurement (and Supply Chain). Charlotte is passionate about fostering collaboration, building high-performing teams, and aligning procurement strategies with sustainability goals. With a global perspective and proven expertise, she continues to drive impactful change in procurement and IT governance.

Connect: LinkedIn

Mentioned in this episode:

• Navigating the Ethical Landscape of AI
• Autonomous and Intelligent Systems (AIS) Standards
• Ethics guidelines for trustworthy AI
• AI Now Institute
• Global MMOG/LE Standards for Automotive Suppliers
• 24 Essential Supply Chain Processes Worksheet for Supplier Performance

Episode Highlights:

[04:44] What is Ethical AI? Dr. Charlotte de Brabandt explains the concept of ethical AI and how it can provide competitive advantages for businesses that choose to adopt it.

[06:07] Ethics vs. Economics: Global economic challenges may slow ethical AI adoption. However, technological advancements present opportunities for businesses to invest in AI that aligns with ethical practices and attracts value-driven customers.

[08:03] AI in Supply Chain Management: AI transforms procurement, from automating tasks to strengthening supplier relationships. But its true potential lies in fostering trust—identifying risks, ensuring fairness, and enhancing transparency across every connection.

[10:48] The Mindset Shift for AI: AI isn’t here to replace jobs but to elevate them. Handling repetitive tasks frees professionals to focus on creativity and high-value work. Examples from IBM and Unilever show its potential in improving efficiency and meeting sustainability goals.

[20:09] Building Ethical AI Frameworks: Dr. Charlotte de Brabandt recommends starting with strong internal frameworks, leveraging resources like IEEE and European Commission guidelines, and tailoring best practices to fit your company’s goals.

[24:27] The First Step in AI: The first step in adopting AI? Establish a governance framework that integrates ethics into every stage of AI development.

[25:36] The Time to Act is Now: AI is evolving rapidly, and delaying adoption means missing opportunities. Dr. Charlotte de Brabandt reflects on how openness and collaboration can revolutionize procurement and drive innovation with ethical AI.

Top Quotes:

[05:06] Charlotte: “In the field of AI, ethical AI actually focuses on continuously developing artificial intelligence systems that ensure fairness, transparency, accountability, and respect for privacy. It is extremely crucial to get more familiar with this word, and as businesses evolve, integrating that ethical AI element is just essential to aligning technology with ethical standards and addressing biases, protecting data privacy. So, companies that then prioritize ethical AI, they get to build trust with their partners, with the vendors, they get to reduce risks, they gain a whole lot of competitive advantage, the whole competitive edge as being responsible leaders.”

[08:34] Charlotte: “AI is definitely revolutionizing procurement and supply chain management by, very much, automating all the tasks that we have going on, also enhancing decision-making, and especially improving the supplier relationships. So, I would say key ethical considerations. They include avoiding these biases but also going more into depth into ensuring transparency and protecting sensitive data. And while AI can help to identify supply chain risks, in my opinion, it's just essential to ensure algorithms are fair and do not disadvantage specific suppliers or regions, if you would like to say.”

[20:23] Charlotte: “Establishing a solid governance framework within the organization and integrating ethics into all stages of AI development and engaging the stakeholders for insights that should be the step number one. So, investing into trainings to build internal expertise and then staying informed. But for businesses aiming to then integrate ethical AI as the second step, I do recommend resources such as the IEEE guidelines, the European Commission’s AI ethics guidelines, and materials from the AI Now Institute, actually. Additionally, industry-specific resources and case studies can also be found just all over. And there is no perfect match, as there is never perfection around us, but there are just insights into best practices, sharing, and real-world applications of ethical AI.”

[26:17] Charlotte: “When I started in 2009, working for Volkswagen, it was really just hiding the vendors and no information, and really having that poker face. But then, as time emerged and as COVID happened, and we went into that virtual environment, I remember I then hosted this global RFP, and for the first time, I actually set up a call with 77 vendors. And back then, it was not normal to have that. And they were able to see each other, and that was the very first call I ever did as an experiment—like a social experiment. They were able to see each other, and I said, this is what we are aiming for, striving for, aligning on what is it that you desire to achieve. You guys can see each other, use your vivid imagination, partner up, and come to me with that ultimate solution. So, as I said, there is no perfection. Perfection doesn't exist, but we have experts in the market. And helping them to join up their knowledge and come to us with a proposal—I think that is ultimately what will change and revolutionize the way we will do procurement, and especially with Ethical AI.”