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AI in Logistics: The New Supply Chain Standard

Written by Anali Calles | Jul 28, 2026, 7:00:00 PM

 

Logistics has never had access to as much information as it does today. However, having more data does not guarantee better results.

The real challenge no longer consists of gathering information, but transforming it into timely decisions that reduce costs, improve service levels, and respond with agility to market changes.

Executive Summary

Supply chains face an overload of unactionable data that drives up operational costs. Through Descartes + Drivin Nebula and Descartes + Drivin Sentinel—AI-driven logistics solutions that automate decision-making—companies transform uncertainty into predictive operations, reducing transportation costs by up to 30% and cutting planning time by 90%.

In our webinar "From Uncertain Forecasts to Smart Decisions," we analyzed how organizations are evolving from reactive management toward operations capable of anticipating events through quality data, actionable indicators, and Artificial Intelligence.

Clean Data: The Starting Point for a Smart Operation

Every decision is only as good as the information that backs it.

When data is duplicated, incomplete, or scattered across multiple systems, planning loses precision, operational errors appear, and the time required to react to any incident increases.

Therefore, before talking about automation or Artificial Intelligence, it is fundamental to build a solid foundation of information.

Three aspects are essential:

  • Standardization: Centralizing information and using uniform criteria allows companies to eliminate silos and ensure that data is consistent across the entire operation.
  • Availability: Having real-time updated information makes it easier to detect deviations before they impact the customer.
  • Quality: Reliable data allows for more precise planning, reduces improvisation, and enables decision-making with greater confidence.

When information is clean and accessible, the operation stops relying on assumptions and begins to lean on evidence.

Measure to Act, Not Just to Report

Logistics indicators should not serve solely to build historical reports.

Their true value lies in revealing where to intervene to generate improvements.

More important than measuring a massive number of KPIs is identifying those that truly drive decisions.

Among the most relevant are:

  • OTIF (On Time In Full): Allows for the detection of customers, routes, or processes that require actions to improve compliance levels.
  • Cost per Delivery: Helps identify opportunities to optimize resources without affecting the customer experience.
  • Fleet Utilization: Shows if there are underutilized vehicles or if the available capacity is insufficient for the demand.

The difference between an average operation and a high-performance operation does not lie in the quantity of indicators it monitors, but in the speed with which it converts those indicators into actions.

Artificial Intelligence: From Analysis to Anticipation

Even if a company has quality information and good indicators, a major challenge still remains: time.

When an incident is detected too late, the options to resolve it are usually limited and expensive.

This is where Artificial Intelligence begins to transform logistics management.

Today, it is possible to anticipate service times, estimate ETAs with greater precision, detect anomalies before they become operational problems, and recommend actions based on the historical behavior of the operation.

The most advanced solutions are already applying this approach. The trend is clear: leading companies no longer wait for a problem to occur to take action; they use technology to anticipate it.

From Visibility to Action with Descartes + Drivin

We’ve developed a new generation of solutions based on Artificial Intelligence that help companies move beyond visibility into action:


Descartes + Drivin Nebula

Nebula is the Artificial Intelligence engine that powers the entire Descartes + Drivin platform.

It does not function as an independent module, but as an intelligent layer that continuously optimizes existing processes, improving planning, estimations, recommendations, and decision-making throughout the operation.

Descartes + Drivin Sentinel

Sentinel takes automation one step further through Agentic AI applied to the supply chain.

Its ecosystem of intelligent agents supervises the logistics operation 24 hours a day, detects anomalies, automatically communicates with drivers to understand the context, and executes corrective actions without human intervention where appropriate.

Only those cases that truly require attention are escalated to the operational team, allowing for reduced response times and concentrating efforts where they generate the greatest value.

The New Standard for Action

Logistics is leaving behind models based solely on historical reports.

The most competitive organizations are already building connected operations, driven by reliable data and Artificial Intelligence capable of anticipating, recommending, and acting.

The objective is no longer simply to have visibility over what occurred. The new standard consists of making faster, more precise, and smarter decisions before problems impact the operation. In the logistics industry today, the true competitive advantage lies in converting data into action.

Are you ready to turn your data into smart decisions?

The difference between a reactive operation and a high-performance operation lies in the capacity to act in time.

With Descartes + Drivin, you can transform data into decisions, automate critical processes, and manage your operation with greater visibility and efficiency.

Talk to one of our Specialists today and discover how to take your logistics to the next level: