Nearly one-third (30%) of logistics professionals lack direct engagement from senior leadership in deploying artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) strategies, according to data released by ORTEC. The results reveal an industry in transition: while the benefits of AI are increasingly clear, many firms still grapple with practical barriers to extracting full value from these technologies.
“These findings highlight an urgent need for proven solutions that can bridge the divide between AI promise and real-world performance,” says Marijn Deurloo, chief product officer, ORTEC. “Organizations tell us they’re eager to modernize, but continue to face challenges in leadership alignment, technical integration, and operational trust. ORTEC’s solutions are built to help these companies move past isolated experiments and realize scalable, sustainable impact.”
Key takeaways:
· A majority (54%) have adopted AI and ML only in select operations, with technology impacting just 10-30% of their workflows.
· Just 15.5% report extensive integration, leaving most organizations with significant untapped potential. Executive disengagement, fragmented strategies, and limited end-to-end implementation remain key hurdles.
· Additional findings point to a stubborn reliance on hybrid solutions, as 70% of organizations struggle with finding the right balance between custom in-house development and partnering with third-party vendors.
· Optimization is the top priority, but 22.2% of leaders still view expansion and cross-departmental adoption as aspirational rather than achievable.
· Compounding these issues, executives overwhelmingly agree that human expertise in planning and operations remains critical with just 4.8% believing AI will fully replace human roles in the next five years.
