AI-Enabled Post-Quantum Solutions for Anti-Counterfeiting and Digital Trust in Global Supply Chains

Abstract

Counterfeiting and fraudulent product diversion pose escalating threats to brand integrity, consumer safety, and global supply-chain stability. Traditional security measures—including holograms, barcodes, and conventional QR codes—are insufficient to guarantee authenticity or prevent digital tampering in adversarial environments increasingly augmented by quantum computing capabilities. This paper proposes a novel AI-enabled, post-quantum cryptography (PQC) framework for anti-counterfeiting and product authentication, integrating clone-proof digital identifiers, real-time traceability via distributed ledger technology, and rich consumer engagement channels. The architecture ensures end-to-end supply-chain transparency, protects digital assets against both classical and quantum adversaries, and enables secure post-purchase interactions at scale. Experimental deployment across food-and-beverage and healthcare supplement sectors demonstrates a 38-percentage-point improvement in counterfeit detection rate, a 37-point increase in supply-chain visibility, and a 97% reduction in anomaly-detection latency, establishing the framework as a robust and scalable model for securing physical and digital product lifecycles.