How can warehouse leaders move from theory to execution, as they strive to embed artificial intelligence into their operations? Answers from two top executives from EPG: chief executive officer Peter Bollinger, and president-Americas Jett Chitanand.

The kinds of investments in technology that warehouses made in the past are no longer enough. Today, says Bollinger, there a need to move away from “passive” systems in favor of agentic artificial intelligence, which can execute actions “without somebody looking at it.”

Bollinger speaks of the importance of “practical” AI, which becomes so absorbed into operations that users barely think about the underlying technology anymore, focusing instead on their physical logistics operations.

That said, there’s a growing gap between AI promise and reality. What separates the two, says Chitanand, is the ability to take action. First, there’s a need for a technology backbone supplied by AI. Then, operators need to look at their services “through the lens of the customer.” In that way, AI becomes “a real problem-solving mechanism.”

Equally important, says Chitanand, is the ability to balance human judgment and machine autonomy. The latter becomes progressively viable as users come to trust the AI model not to “hallucinate.” That includes the system being willing to admit to not having the answers to every question. Getting people to rely on the technology is an issue of “change management,” he adds.

Few warehouses can afford to adopt innovative technology if that means even a temporary disruption to the core execution platforms. The key is taking a “crawl, walk, run” approach to implementation, says Chitanand.

It’s important to get started, however. “If you don’t,” says Chitanand, “you’re not going to get on the train that’s leaving the station.”