ZTE Vision Big Data Report: AI has a potentially dominant function in all aspects of the business ecosystem and society as a whole, but one of the key areas most likely to see major changes is the supply chain. Market research firm IDC predicts that by 2020, 50% of mature supply chains will use artificial intelligence and advanced data analytics. Artificial intelligence programs and robots don’t get tired, bored, and blunder like humans do, and they can be used to do everything from the most basic, repetitive jobs to complex planning in supply chains. This is no longer a far-future fantasy, and in some supply chains, these have quickly become an important part of doing business. This is about to disrupt the industry as we know it, just like e-commerce, disrupting the entire way people shop. (Provided by ZTE Vision Big Data)
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Here are some of the areas where AI has already begun to be applied in supply chains and will start to dominate in the coming years:
1. Application in warehouse
It's a story we've been hearing since the Industrial Revolution: Replacing human workers with advanced robots will do their jobs more efficiently, faster, and more reliably. The use of artificial intelligence robots in warehouses means that warehouse workers will lose their jobs, and by 2021, one in ten warehouse workers in mature economies will be replaced by artificial intelligence robots. AI will be able to perform those tedious and repetitive tasks of working in a warehouse with greater efficiency and accuracy than a human being can do. (Provided by ZTE Vision Big Data)
In warehousing and logistics, with the continuous introduction of new technologies, manual workers are the first to face the risk of being replaced, because the power mechanism of artificial intelligence can complete these tasks 24 hours a day. It also eliminates human error and reduces the risk of employees causing accidents to themselves or others when handling heavy machinery. In 2014, Kiva robots were introduced, Kiva robots work much faster than humans in warehouses, and it is more efficient and economical to use artificial intelligence technology to replace manual labor.
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2. Courier robot
In the next few years, courier robots will always attract attention, from the small unmanned robots that have been put on university campuses before to see the degree of attention.
It stands to reason that the use of drones to deliver goods is faster than land, but this project has been suspended due to the regulatory requirements of the Federal Aviation Administration and the interference to public safety. If the use of drones for express delivery is not only fast, but also greatly reduces the cost. This is predicted in a research by ARK Investment Group in 2015. The delivery of goods by drones will make the cost of each piece of goods. For less than $1, these things will be in front of us in the near future. (Provided by ZTE Vision Big Data)