Artificial Intelligence: the future of the logistics industry

According to a new study carried out by DHL and IBM, artificial intelligence (AI) is the future of logistics services and can help logistics providers to deliver items even before the customer has ordered. Recently, both companies assessed the potential of this technology in the field of logistics with a view to identifying the best way to apply AI in a bid to transform the industry. According to the report, AI technology has created a new class of intelligent logistics assets and new operational paradigms. The DHL Global Head of Innovation, Matthias Heutger explained that today's technological, commercial and societal conditions are driving a paradigm shift towards more proactive and predictive logistics operations than ever before. Since technological progress in the AI field is continually developing and advancing, Heutger believes it is his company's job to determine, in consultation with its customers and employees, how AI ​​can shape the future of the logistics industry.

Optimizing existing application systems and building human capacity

The collaborative report also predicts the implications and use cases of AI for the logistics industry, while considering that AI has the potential to significantly increase human capabilities. This technology is now ubiquitous in the consumer field, as evidenced by the rapid growth of voice assistant applications. AI technologies are now maturing at a steady pace, which will help develop additional applications for the logistics industry. For example, AI technologies can use advanced image recognition to track the status of shipments and goods, or to predict fluctuations in global shipping volumes before they occur. AI will surely increase human abilities, while eliminating routine work. This will allow the logistics workforce to be assigned to more significant and high value-added tasks. Keith Dierkx, head of IBM Global Industry, said that if companies are able to leverage AI into their core processes, they will be able to invest more in other areas of strategic growth. They will be able to modernize or eliminate existing application systems and make existing assets and infrastructure more efficient. At the same time, they can improve the skills and abilities of their employees. Finally, the report concludes that AI will inevitably be ubiquitous in the industrial sector. It can transform the logistics industry into a proactive, predictive, automated and personalized branch.