Generative AI has air cargo potential but should be approached with caution
13 / 03 / 2024
Source: Air Cargo News
Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is the latest technology buzz sweeping the world but potential air cargo users must keep an open mind and not get carried away if its implementation is to prove successful.
Speakers were asked by session moderator Anna Ghion, senior global account manager for MNO AIR, AWS Amazon, what call to action they had for the industry in terms of GenAI and agreed the technology had a lot of potential but also needed careful consideration.
Cathay Cargo head of cargo digital Ingrid Lee said companies should first try to gain a sufficient understanding of GenAI.
“We shouldn’t get too carried away with the trend, where everyone thinks that GenAI needs to be applied in the cargo market.
“There is a lot of potential but we need to start early and understand what are the limitations of the technology… what is the potential and then as an industry think about how it is applicable for us.”
Lee added that company heads may ask for a business case outline before considering the technology, but she said GenAI is still in the exploration phase making it hard to calculate any potential costs or savings. Instead, at this stage, companies should keep an open mind.
RTS product manager Elena Sanguino agreed there was no need to utilise the technology just because it is the current hot topic.
“This type of transformation takes time and companies should really evaluate AI or GenAI and whether it could be done a different way – not everything needs a high-tech solution,” she said.
“Go to the experts if it is something that is not within the capability of your organisation. Trust the experts and they will be able to guide you and find an adequate solution.”
UNISYS industry expert for freight and logistics Sabari Ramnath added that people should not see AI as a threat to jobs.
He said that there were plenty of examples of people being replaced by machines in the past but their jobs shifted into something else.
In an earlier session, AWS Amazon’s Ghion had identified two potential use cases for GenAI in air cargo.
She said that it could be used to provide sales staff with real-time negotiation feedback to improve pricing discussions and win rates.
Ghion said using GenAI could result in a 10% improvement in win rates and a 20% increase in “pricing realisation”.
It could also help provide answers to regulatory questions that staff may have.
In this example, there could be a 90% reduction in the work time required to find information and an improvement in accuracy.
