Read later Audio version Summary: Two exemplars of retailers using AI and machine learning to optimize inventory control and ensure that there's stock on the physical and virtual shelves for customers to buy. (Pixabay/Company Logos) COVID-19 and the subsequent panic-buying and societal shift to online shopping put enormous pressures on retail industry supply chain management and inventory control. An increasing number of retailers are looking to AI and machine learning tech to automate back-end processes to ensure that they can always meet customer demand. A recent study by supply chain management specialists Blue Yonder - Future of Fulfillment Research Report (