Preparing for the AI Revolution: Takeaways From Let’s Talk Supply Chain

Last week, I had the pleasure of joining Sarah Barnes Humphrey on her podcast, "Let's Talk Supply Chain” for an interesting discussion on the ever-evolving world of supply chain. We dove into some of the most critical trends I’m seeing today — from shifts in consumer behavior to the transformative potential of AI.  

When I co-founded Shipium, we wanted to democratize a data-driven, strategic approach to logistics that could help companies of all sizes compete. We initially focused on the retail segment because it's what I knew best, but we’ve since seen remarkable growth with 3PLs and B2B industries like life sciences and manufacturing. What’s become clear is that while their business models might differ — some are focused on cost, others on risk — the fundamental need for intelligent, data-driven systems is universal.

I wanted to share some of my key takeaways and why I believe the supply chain industry is at a pivotal turning point.

Consumer Behavior as a Driving Force

Sarah and I spent some time discussing what’s changed since our last conversation in 2022. While the pandemic is no longer front and center, its effects on consumer behavior are permanent. The "long tail" of ecommerce has fully arrived. People are buying a wider variety of specialized products than ever before, from car parts to materials for home projects to Lego sets.

This demand for variety is forcing supply chains to become incredibly agile. At the same time, consumers have become accustomed to instant gratification. My own daughter hasn’t been to a grocery store in years; she just uses Instacart. This convenience comes with high expectations, and when something goes wrong — like a delivery issue — brand perception and customer experience are more negatively impacted than before. Consistent execution is no longer a luxury; it’s a necessity.

Why I'm All-In on AI

This year, I changed my mind and updated my thinking. After not seeing enough real evidence of AI impacting supply chains in 2024, I now believe AI is the most important trend happening right now. It’s not just one of many new technologies. It’s the "meta story" that’s going to filter through every aspect of business. Despite all the buzz around it, I honestly think we’re still under-hyping its long-term impact.

My vision for 2028 is a supply chain run by "agentic AI," where a network of autonomous agents makes decisions, optimizes, and audits on their own. For companies to remain competitive, they have to get out of the slow, human-led decision-making cycle that can take months. AI provides the speed and scale needed to navigate a world of constant disruption, which is the world that operators live in today.

For example — at Amazon, we had a system that made complex order routing decisions. We also had a "big red button" that human operators would hit to reroute orders during a crisis, like a labor dispute or a major storm. In the future I envision, an AI agent will be constantly monitoring for these types of events. It will take in data from countless sources without requiring extensive prep. Then, instead of waiting for a human to hit a button, an agent will autonomously reroute the network on its own.

My Advice for Supply Chain Leaders

The most important takeaway for any leader in this space is simple: you have to start playing with AI now. Waiting to see what happens or pretending it’s a passing fad will put your business at a massive disadvantage.

My advice is to start small and look for quick, tangible wins. For example, we’re about to release a feature that uses a chatbot to answer questions about a shipment's history. This seemingly small improvement will save analysts the excessive number of hours they spend opening tickets and waiting for responses. It builds trust by providing immediate transparency into how the system works and the outcomes it’s driving.

When it comes to the cost of investing in these new tools, I’m back to my original point: if you can pay us a certain amount to save you 10 times that amount, it's a no-brainer. And, AI will help us prove that value faster by creating a "digital twin" of your network and modeling exactly how it can save you money before you even fully implement our system.

So, get started. Give your teams the space to experiment with these tools. Even if you don’t have your data perfectly organized, AI can help you with that, too. There is no straight line to success, but taking action now is the only way to get ahead.

Wrapping Up

In the world of supply chain, we've moved from an era of occasional disruption to one of constant change, and the only way to thrive is to embrace automation and data-driven decisions.

My advice remains the same: stop hesitating and start innovating. Give your teams the freedom to test AI tools and find small, impactful ways to integrate them into your workflows. The key to staying ahead isn't about perfectly predicting the future — it's about building an organization that's agile enough to respond to it.

If you’re focusing on leveraging technology that can future-proof your operations while creating tangible wins today, reach out to our team here to see how Shipium can help.