More than half of logistics leaders say that they have grown the size of their warehouse workforce since implementing artificial intelligence tools, while over three-quarters reported a rise in employee productivity and job satisfaction.

According to a survey of 2,000 supply chain and warehouse professionals from automation company Mecalux and MIT's Intelligent Logistics Systems (ILS) Lab, the introduction of AI has created a need for a variety of new roles to implement and manage the technology, from machine learning engineers to automation specialists. And as AI has become more ubiquitous across the industry, it's gone from being seen as an experimental tool to become one of the "core drivers of productivity, accuracy and workforce evolution," Mecalux and MIT said in a November 28 news release.

“Traditional machine learning is great at predicting problems, but generative AI actually helps you engineer the solution,” MIT ILS Lab Director Dr. Matthias Winkenbach explained. “That’s why companies see it as the biggest value generator in the warehouse today."

Read More: 98% of Warehouse Workers Say Automation Helps Productivity

In total, more than 90% of respondents said that they're now using some form of AI or advanced automation. The majority now also devote between 11% and 30% of their warehouse technology budgets to AI and machine-learning initiatives, with 87% planning to increase their AI budgets over the next two to three years.

The introduction of the technology hasn't been without its challenges, though, with logistics leaders flagging technical expertise, system integration, data quality and implementation costs as the most prominent barriers. However, respondents also reported "strong foundations in data and project management" stemming from longer-term use of the technology, and found that the typical payback period for bringing the technology online was just two to three years.

"Ultimately, the measurable gains from automation are productivity wins, making existing systems work smoother, faster, and with fewer disruptions," said Dr. Winkenbach.