{"id":43147,"date":"2026-03-19T13:32:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T13:32:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/merlinsourcing.com\/?p=43147"},"modified":"2026-04-17T13:34:39","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T13:34:39","slug":"stop-buying-the-ai-story-start-asking-the-right-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/merlinsourcing.com\/de\/blog\/stop-buying-the-ai-story-start-asking-the-right-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Stop Buying the AI Story. Start Asking the Right Questions."},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"43147\" class=\"elementor elementor-43147\" data-elementor-settings=\"[]\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-section-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-58b9836 elementor-section-height-min-height elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-items-middle\" data-id=\"58b9836\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated elementor-element elementor-element-0f05044\" data-id=\"0f05044\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fd0adb5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"fd0adb5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Every procurement vendor has added AI to their product page. Every analyst is forecasting disruption. Every CFO is\u00a0asking\u00a0their procurement\u00a0to\u00a0lead\u00a0whether the function is\u00a0keeping\u00a0up.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Here is the question nobody is asking loudly enough: keeping up with what, exactly?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Because beneath the noise,\u00a0a significant portion\u00a0of what is being marketed as AI in procurement is either rebranded automation, statistical modeling that has existed for years, or capability that works beautifully in a demo and falls apart against real organizational data.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-00c61bf elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"00c61bf\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated elementor-element elementor-element-e231bc8\" data-id=\"e231bc8\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-702ee32 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"702ee32\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_61 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" >Inhaltsverzeichnis<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #000000;color:#000000\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #000000;color:#000000\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseprofile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/merlinsourcing.com\/de\/blog\/stop-buying-the-ai-story-start-asking-the-right-questions\/#Where_AI_Is_Actually_Earning_Its_Place\" title=\"Where AI Is Actually Earning Its Place \">Where AI Is Actually Earning Its Place <\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/merlinsourcing.com\/de\/blog\/stop-buying-the-ai-story-start-asking-the-right-questions\/#Where_AI_Is_Still_a_Marketing_Slide\" title=\"Where AI Is Still a Marketing Slide \">Where AI Is Still a Marketing Slide <\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/merlinsourcing.com\/de\/blog\/stop-buying-the-ai-story-start-asking-the-right-questions\/#The_Question_That_Should_Come_Before_Does_It_Use_AI\" title=\"The Question That Should Come Before &#039;Does It Use AI?&#039; \">The Question That Should Come Before 'Does It Use AI?' <\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/merlinsourcing.com\/de\/blog\/stop-buying-the-ai-story-start-asking-the-right-questions\/#The_Only_Thing_That_Will_Not_Change\" title=\"The Only Thing That Will Not Change \">The Only Thing That Will Not Change <\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Where_AI_Is_Actually_Earning_Its_Place\"><\/span>Where AI Is Actually Earning Its Place <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-0dc80b2 elementor-section-height-min-height elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-items-middle\" data-id=\"0dc80b2\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated elementor-element elementor-element-8298bec\" data-id=\"8298bec\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7dec13e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7dec13e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The genuine wins are not glamorous. They are the high-volume, repetitive tasks where human effort introduces\u00a0inconsistency,\u00a0and AI introduces scale.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><h3>Spend classification.<\/h3><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> AI engines now process millions of transaction lines, assign category codes accurately, and flag anomalies for review. What used to take analyst weeks takes hours, with better consistency.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><h3>Contract analysis.<\/h3><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> Natural language processing surfaces non-standard clauses, missing terms, and renewal risk across entire contract repositories. For procurement and legal teams with backlogs measured in months, this is not incremental. It is a structural shift.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><h3>Supplier risk monitoring.<\/h3><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> AI aggregates signals from financial filings, regulatory databases, news, and geopolitical feeds to surface early warnings continuously. Not annually. Continuously. That distinction matters when a key supplier is quietly deteriorating.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b54d2ac elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"b54d2ac\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated elementor-element elementor-element-d1c1706\" data-id=\"d1c1706\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f3d49b2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"f3d49b2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Where_AI_Is_Still_a_Marketing_Slide\"><\/span>Where AI Is Still a Marketing Slide <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-18923bb elementor-section-height-min-height elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-items-middle\" data-id=\"18923bb\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated elementor-element elementor-element-71410ba\" data-id=\"71410ba\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-51f2907 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"51f2907\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Autonomous sourcing is the most overpromised capability in the market. AI can\u00a0assist\u00a0with RFP drafts, supplier shortlisting, and bid comparison. It cannot make the judgment call that this supplier relationship is strategically worth protecting at a higher price. It cannot read the room in a negotiation. It cannot weigh risk trade-offs the way a seasoned category manager can.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Demand forecasting is similarly conditional. AI forecasting models depend entirely on clean, integrated, historical data. In organizations where ERP data is\u00a0fragmented\u00a0and procurement systems do not connect to supply chain\u00a0systems,\u00a0the algorithm has nothing solid to work with.\u00a0Better\u00a0AI does not fix bad data. It just fails more expensively.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-e955aae elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"e955aae\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated elementor-element elementor-element-9544294\" data-id=\"9544294\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d7c9395 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"d7c9395\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Question_That_Should_Come_Before_Does_It_Use_AI\"><\/span>The Question That Should Come Before 'Does It Use AI?' <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4c0464a elementor-section-height-min-height elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-items-middle\" data-id=\"4c0464a\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated elementor-element elementor-element-08ca21e\" data-id=\"08ca21e\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-073be08 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"073be08\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The procurement teams extracting genuine value from AI are not the ones with the most advanced tools. They are the ones who asked the right questions before signing the contract.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><ul><li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">What specific task does the AI perform?\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ul><ul><li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">What data does it require?\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ul><ul><li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">How does it integrate with existing ERP and finance systems?\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ul><ul><li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"4\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Where does a human stay in the loop, and why?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Platforms that embed AI into defined procurement workflows, spend visibility, supplier management, sourcing execution, deliver\u00a0measurable returns. Platforms that deploy AI as a positioning statement deliver impressive sales cycles and underwhelming implementations.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-8262dc9 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"8262dc9\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated elementor-element elementor-element-b6f0e96\" data-id=\"b6f0e96\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-55f3b6c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"55f3b6c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Only_Thing_That_Will_Not_Change\"><\/span>The Only Thing That Will Not Change <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-aec1177 elementor-section-height-min-height elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-items-middle\" data-id=\"aec1177\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated elementor-element elementor-element-aaccee3\" data-id=\"aaccee3\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ce1ced9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ce1ced9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The hype will settle. It always does. When it does, the procurement functions that invested in capability thoughtfully, with clear use cases and solid data foundations, will have built something durable.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The ones that bought the story will be starting over.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The ones that built the foundation will be ready for whatever comes next.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Every procurement vendor has added AI to their product page. Every analyst is forecasting disruption. Every CFO is\u00a0asking\u00a0their procurement\u00a0to\u00a0lead\u00a0whether the function is\u00a0keeping\u00a0up. Here is the question nobody is asking loudly enough: keeping up with what, exactly? Because beneath the noise,\u00a0a significant portion\u00a0of what is being marketed as AI in procurement is either rebranded automation, statistical&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/merlinsourcing.com\/de\/blog\/stop-buying-the-ai-story-start-asking-the-right-questions\/\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Stop Buying the AI Story. Start Asking the Right Questions.<\/span> weiterlesen<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":123459,"featured_media":42978,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-merlin","entry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.4 (Yoast SEO v21.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Stop Buying the AI Story. Start Asking the Right Questions.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Procurement is entering a decisive phase. 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By 2026, sourcing will no longer be measured solely by how efficiently RFx events are executed, but by how effectively procurement contributes to resilience, risk management, and long-term business value.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/merlinsourcing.com\/de\/blog\/stop-buying-the-ai-story-start-asking-the-right-questions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MeRLIN\u202f\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MeRLINstrategicsourcing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-19T13:32:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-17T13:34:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/merlinsourcing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/MeRLIN-Blog-Top-Procurement-Trends-Predictions-2026-banner.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"980\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"345\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Raj Samyuktha Velrajan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@MeRLINsourcing\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@MeRLINsourcing\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Verfasst von\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Raj Samyuktha Velrajan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Gesch\u00e4tzte Lesezeit\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/merlinsourcing.com\/de\/blog\/stop-buying-the-ai-story-start-asking-the-right-questions\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/merlinsourcing.com\/de\/blog\/stop-buying-the-ai-story-start-asking-the-right-questions\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Raj Samyuktha Velrajan\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/merlinsourcing.com\/de\/#\/schema\/person\/68e9ce8561b1286b675dc865c2eb5cc1\"},\"headline\":\"Stop Buying the AI Story. 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