• AI begins planning, coordinating and acting across supply chains, working alongside people while logistics will remain a people business, states the DHL Logistics Trend Radar 8.0.

The eighth edition of DHLS’s Logistics Trend radar maps the societal, technological, and business trends shaping logistics over the next decade and the report finds that Artificial intelligence (AI) is moving beyond its role as a digital assistant and beginning to take action across supply chains.

The report states that advances in AI, robotics, and automation are transforming not only logistics operations, but also the workforce itself. As intelligent systems become increasingly capable of planning, deciding and acting autonomously, organizations must rethink skills, safety, governance and employee experience while building more resilient and sustainable supply chains.

“Supply chains are changing faster than ever as AI and workforce trends increasingly influence one another, the organisations that succeed will be those that understand these shifts early and are able to turn them into practical advantages for their business and their people. The Trend Radar helps them focus on the developments that will matter most.” said Katja Busch, Chief Commercial Officer of DHL and Head of DHL’s Customer Solutions & Innovation.

AI in logistics is evolving from assistance to autonomy was a finding noted by DHL along with the emergence of Agentic AI, identified as one of the most impactful trends. Unlike earlier generations of AI that primarily respond to prompts or analyze information, Agentic AI can autonomously plan, decide, and act toward defined goals, enabling closer collaboration between intelligent technologies and human expertise.

“Until now, AI has helped people perform tasks more efficiently. The next chapter is about action, we’re entering an era of autonomous and physical AI, where intelligent systems can actively perceive the world, navigate complex environments, and make decisions with minimal human intervention,” said Klaus Dohrmann, Vice President of Innovation and Trend Research at DHL Customer Solutions and Innovation.

Sustainability was also found to be another driver of innovation. Trends such as decarbonisation, sustainable fuels, circularity, heavy vehicle electrification, and light vehicle electrification demonstrate how organizations are deploying electric delivery fleets, scaling alternative fuels, and redesigning supply chains for reuse and resource efficiency while pursuing lower-carbon operations.

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