AI in the Last Mile: Between Promise and Practicality

Artificial intelligence is no longer a buzzword tacked onto logistics PowerPoints—it’s in the spreadsheets, the truck routes, and the procurement playbooks. But as more companies race to automate and optimize their supply chains, the results are far from uniform. Two companies, UniUni and Transfix, are taking distinct approaches to AI’s role in freight and last-mile logistics—one focused on dynamic delivery operations, the other on upstream pricing and procurement strategy.

Together, their stories offer a clearer, more complex picture of what “AI in logistics” really means in 2025—and what it doesn’t.

From Reactive to Resilient: AI on the Streets

Sean Collins, VP of Cross-border eCommerce & Enterprise Procurement at UniUni, says the shift is already well underway. “A few years ago, AI was mostly used to put out fires… But today retailers are starting to embrace AI as a strategic planning tool,” he told The Supply Chainer.

UniUni is using AI to route drivers dynamically in real-time, catch delivery issues before they escalate, and forecast demand down to the SKU. Predictive analytics help them reposition resources during peak seasons, and real-time data powers tracking and alert systems. It’s a model designed not just for efficiency but for resilience in the face of increasingly unpredictable conditions—weather, traffic, and consumer behavior among them.

Yet while UniUni focuses heavily on the execution side of logistics, AI is also rewriting the pricing and procurement playbook—starting far upstream from the doorstep.

Sean Collins, VP Cross-border eCommerce & Enterprise Procurement, UniUni

Fixing the RFP Bottleneck: AI Goes to the Source

Transfix, a New York-based freight technology company, just launched two new AI-powered tools—Smart Uploads and Routing Guide—aimed squarely at freight brokers’ biggest pain points: data chaos and manual labor.

“Freight brokers have long been stuck between inconsistent RFP formats on one end and fragmented carrier networks on the other,” said Jonathan Salama, CEO and Co-founder of Transfix. “With Smart Uploads and Routing Guide, we’re modernizing the entire pricing and procurement lifecycle.”

With Smart Uploads, Transfix tackles one of the freight industry’s most persistent headaches—messy RFP data. Instead of manually reformatting inconsistent spreadsheets, brokers can now rely on AI to clean and structure the information automatically. The system identifies key fields, flags issues without halting the process, and preserves the original file for traceability. It’s a significant time-saver, reducing both turnaround time and costly data-entry mistakes.

Routing Guide builds on that foundation by helping brokers make smarter carrier selections. Drawing on historical performance data, it surfaces trusted, high-performing partners and streamlines recurring freight assignments. It even lets brokers set rate preferences by lane or day, introducing a level of precision and consistency that manual vetting rarely delivers.

Transfix positions these tools as the backbone of what it calls freight’s first fully-integrated Quote Management System—a bold ambition, but one that points to a broader industry trend: AI moving beyond automation and into decision-making infrastructure.

The Big Picture: Still a Work in Progress

Despite the promise, some caution is warranted. Neither UniUni nor Transfix mentions the labor-side implications of AI adoption, nor the long-term effects of automation on smaller carriers or warehouse teams. UniUni, for example, makes no reference to autonomous delivery systems, suggesting the industry is still grounded in human-driven infrastructure for now.

Moreover, visibility—long held as AI’s most touted benefit—only solves what you can respond to. Real-time alerts are useful, but they don’t stop a storm from closing a highway or a driver shortage from slowing down a route.

Still, the progress is tangible. Whether it’s transforming a spreadsheet into a pricing engine or avoiding a failed doorstep delivery, AI is no longer just dressing for investor decks—it’s at the center of operational strategy.

And maybe, just maybe, logistics is starting to get smarter where it matters most.