STM Journals Peer-reviewed research from Consortium e-Learning Network

Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research & Advances Original Research

Autonomous Agent Contracts for Adaptive Supply Chains

  1. Bhargav Chebrolu MS in Supply Chain Management (Naveen Jindal School of Management), The University of Texas, Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080

Abstract

This paper proposes a novel agent-driven, on-chain coordination layer for manufacturer–distributor–retailer handoffs that automates release, transfer, receipt, and state validation across the supply network. This approach combines belief–desire–intention (BDI) agents with narrowly scoped smart contracts to capture role responsibilities, capacity checks, and escalation policies. It aims to enhance conformance, traceability, and cycle-time reliability without relying on central intermediaries. This proof of concept links supply chain states—such as production-ready, packaged, listed, purchased, shipped, and delivered—to contract primitives, while BDI agents trigger transactions based on their beliefs regarding inventory and production readiness. Auditable workflows and dispute-resilient confirmations are thereby established. The implementation artifacts produced by the project include Jason-based multi-agent behaviors, Solidity contracts for item lifecycle management and ownership, and deployment and execution cost measurements to demonstrate operational feasibility at the retail distribution edge. The results demonstrate that autonomous governance mechanisms can synchronize material flows, control handoff events, and surface governance signals, thereby providing a practical pathway for embedding accountable decision logic into supply chain processes.

Keywords

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