What happened

Analysis of 91 Fortune-100 companies finds 24% more links between reported risks since 2019, with AI and supply chains emerging as key connectors; AI risk reporting has risen by about 30% from 2019 to 2026, spanning industries beyond tech.

Why it matters

As dependencies grow, shocks can spread faster. The research cautions that resilience must be built beforehand, not after a crisis hits, and that common dependencies can amplify disruptions.

The study, conducted by the Swiss Re Institute and LSE, analyzed corporate connectivity and found that linkages between reported risks have increased, with AI and supply chains forming critical nodes in how disruptions travel across sectors. The findings suggest that future crises may unfold not just from a single shock, but from interacting threats across financial, digital, and physical systems.

Natural hazards, geopolitical tensions, and cyber events can align within supply networks in ways that turn localized failures into wider disruptions. Analysts emphasize that resilience must be built before crises occur, because once a shock spreads, response options shrink as dependencies concentrate risk in a few places.

What this does not tell us

Findings are based on 91 large companies and may not generalize to all firms or sectors; causality cannot be inferred from reported associations.

FOR PEOPLE

Benefits reported

AI helps humans extend risk-management capacity by understanding supply-chain dependencies.

FOR AI AND ITS OPERATORS

Benefits reported

AI strengthens risk modeling and coordination to respond to cascading disruptions.

These are two separate readings of what the sources describe. Reported claims and risks do not by themselves establish a real-world effect.

Original sources · 1
  1. Artificial intelligence | Supply chains | Interconnected risks ↗The London School of Economics and Political Science · 2026-09-25

Reporting discovered in United Kingdom. Discovery market does not mean the event happened there.