Artificial intelligence impacts just about every aspect of our lives today . Siri will remind you when it ’ s time to leave for your next appointment ; Grammarly will tell you how to simplify a sentence , and Alexa will prompt you to order more shampoo .
For last-mile providers , AI helps with dispatching , recruiting , and even prospecting for new business . So , what is the future of AI for those in the last-mile ? The Customized Logistics & Delivery magazine asked two tech gurus who are on the front lines of AI today and have a view of what it will mean for our industry tomorrow . They are :
• Daniel Adams , Chief Operating Officer , of Logistics Technology HQ Corporation . The company provides logistics IT support and consulting services to our industry .
• Christopher Miller is Chief Technology Officer of Key Software Systems , which provides delivery management , optimization , and AI-based automation solutions for carriers in the transportation industry with a strong presence in the lastmile sector .
CLDA MAG : What aspects of the last-mile sector will be most impacted by AI in 2024 ?
Adams : Shippers and value-added network providers are rapidly deploying technology to verify that shipments meet their requirements . The days of any POD image and signature being valid are quickly disappearing . AI , combined with offshore resources , can quickly find and flag shipments that do not meet the shippers ’ requirements . In the future , these logic engines will only get smarter and smarter with additional data .
This is because this segment of the industry has larger datasets with more clearly identified rules . These work well with AI models . These cases also have direct financial benefits for the shippers , hence the desire to invest in them .
Miller : In 2024 , expect AI to further impact customer / shipper engagement , automation of carrier operational tasks and , of course , route optimization advancements .
With customer / shipper engagement , we can expect to see improved satisfaction with rich , real-time tracking knowledge because of AI introduction and improvements in TMS solutions . For example , ETA accuracy will be sharpened as better optimization is applied . Shippers want to nail down ETAs to the second , not a range of hours . The technology to close this gap and apply real-time driver tracking is not much of a reach .
Regarding the automation of carrier operational tasks , we ’ ll see AI-based assistance in physical areas like warehousing , sorting , receiving , and loading . We can also expect to see software applications that are aware and predictive of user intention . This leads to suggestions like auto-completion , which will reduce tedious tasks and multi-step workloads substantially . Beyond assistance , we ’ ll see more fully automated capabilities with delivery management as AI-based organization , assignment and route optimization evolves .
CLDA Mag : What areas of the last-mile sector can benefit most from using AI ?
Adams : Customer service and ticketing software solutions that include significant AI and machine learning levels will provide a better experience and faster setup . These tools provide better self-support options and faster completion of requests . They are rapidly evolving to be more effective . Faster communication with customers and advanced insight into overall workflows are being included in most platforms .
I say that because areas of language processing and general ticketing process support have gotten lots of investment globally . These tools are getting better every day and have a lower entry point than most of the other AI applications .
Miller : AI will ultimately impact all areas of the last-mile sector in the next several years at an accelerating rate .
The Shipper / recipient experience is paramount . It drives much of the technological innovation made in this industry . The ability to provide service that is faster , easier , and with lower associated costs is possible because of technology that is supercharged with AI .
winter 2024 I customized logistics & delivery Magazine 21