Three years back, during the pandemic chaos affecting businesses of all sizes, Luciano Sieber, Colgate-Palmolive’s chief supply chain officer, pulled off a logistics blitz. The outcome not only gave Sieber a deeper insight into how Colgate-Palmolive manages its global product movement but also burdened him with a surplus of data. Fast forward to about a year ago, Sieber claims he found a solution to this data overload issue through Uber Freight. This ride-hailing service’s established logistics and analytics arm had been devising innovative methods to handle vast amounts of data using artificial intelligence. Colgate-Palmolive was among the initial adopters of one of Uber Freight’s latest products, a logistics-focused LLM known as Insights AI.
Uber Freight is now officially rolling out a range of AI features to shippers worldwide as part of its existing supply chain software. This includes an expansion of Insights AI, quietly introduced by Uber Freight in 2023, along with over 30 AI agents designed to handle crucial logistics tasks throughout the freight lifecycle. The company is not the only player in the market leveraging modern artificial intelligence tools to streamline supply chains. Flexport unveiled its own set of AI tools in February, while numerous startups are also aiming to assist companies in managing data, reducing inventory stockpiles, and enhancing supply and demand predictions.
Uber Freight is banking on its AI solutions to have an immediate impact on the financial performance of both its major clients and the nearly 10,000 other shippers it collaborates with. This confidence stems from the knowledge base and relationships it has built over the eight years since its inception, initially matching long-haul truckers with shippers. According to Uber Freight founder Lior Ron, “Supply chain is inherently a data-rich problem. It’s complex, it’s nuanced, and AI can serve a fundamental role in shaping it and accelerating it.”
### Evolution of Uber Freight
Uber Freight began as a straightforward brokerage model in 2017 but has since evolved into a service provider for companies involved in global shipping operations. The company’s emphasis on incorporating artificial intelligence aligns with the broader trend of modern companies embracing AI technologies. Lior Ron’s background in AI, dating back to his academic pursuits, has played a significant role in shaping Uber Freight’s trajectory towards utilizing advanced technologies. Having worked extensively with machine learning during his tenure at Google Maps, Ron recognized the potential of digitizing the physical world, leading him to believe that supply chain management could greatly benefit from data-driven solutions.
### Advancing AI Capabilities
While machine learning has been integral to Uber Freight’s operations from the start, the company began exploring more sophisticated generative AI capabilities around two years ago. Despite initial challenges, the technology has evolved to deliver accurate results with a 98% success rate. Insights AI, trained on extensive internal and external data related to the freight movement facilitated by Uber Freight, utilizes multiple AI models to optimize price, precision, and performance. Customers can leverage Insights AI to gain rapid, accurate insights into their supply chain, enabling them to make informed decisions swiftly, a significant departure from traditional analysis methods.
