INTEGRATING BLOCKCHAIN, AI, AND RFID TECHNOLOGIES TO COMBAT COUNTERFEITING IN SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT: A COMPREHENSIVE LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Counterfeiting in supply chain management poses significant challenges, including economic losses, compromised product safety, and damage to brand reputation. The increasing complexity and globalization of supply chains have exacerbated these issues, making it difficult for organizations to ensure the authenticity and traceability of products. The purpose of this research is to investigate how blockchain, AI, and RFID technologies can be used to provide complete protection against supply chain counterfeiting. Blockchain guarantees tamper-proof transaction records by ensuring decentralization, immutability, and transparency. Real-time tracking and physical-layer identification made possible by RFID help to lower the risk of fake products finding their way onto the supply chain. Through pattern analysis, automated verification, and anomaly identification suggesting fraudulent activity, artificial intelligence improves detection capacity. The findings reveal that the integration of these technologies creates a robust framework for ensuring end-to-end traceability, enhancing security, and improving operational efficiency. For instance, IoT-based secure medicine supply chains and electronic component authentication systems demonstrate the practical effectiveness of this approach. Despite its promise, challenges such as technical complexity, scalability, and adoption barriers remain. These include the need for secure communication protocols between RFID tags and blockchain nodes, as well as the cost and expertise required for implementation. This study has important ramifications since the suggested structure not only solves the immediate problem of counterfeiting but also creates the basis for more open, effective, and strong supply networks. Future research should focus on overcoming these challenges by developing scalable solutions, cost-effective implementations, and standardized regulatory frameworks. Organizations that use Blockchain, AI, and RFID can dramatically reduce the risk of counterfeit items, ensuring the legitimacy and safety of commodities from manufacture to distribution.