Artificial intelligence is moving from a supporting role toward active planning, decision-making and execution across supply chains, but people are expected to remain central to logistics operations, according to the DHL Logistics Trend Radar 8.0.
The eighth edition of DHL’s biennial trend report examines the technological, business and societal developments expected to shape logistics, supply chains and global trade over the next decade. Its latest findings point to a growing convergence between artificial intelligence, robotics, automation and workforce transformation.
DHL said increasingly capable intelligent systems are beginning to plan, coordinate and act with greater autonomy. This shift is prompting companies to reconsider workforce skills, safety, governance and employee experience while continuing to build resilient and sustainable supply chains.
“Supply chains are changing faster than ever as AI and workforce trends increasingly influence one another,” said Katja Busch, Chief Commercial Officer at DHL and Head of DHL Customer Solutions & Innovation. “The organizations 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.”
Agentic AI moves logistics toward greater autonomy
One of the most significant developments identified in the latest Trend Radar is Agentic AI, which DHL classifies as a high-impact trend with adoption expected within five years.
Unlike AI systems that primarily respond to individual prompts or analyze information, agentic systems can independently perceive inputs, make decisions, plan and execute tasks toward defined objectives, while remaining subject to human oversight and expertise.
DHL said this could support increasingly adaptive supply chains capable of anticipating inventory shortages, rerouting shipments when disruptions occur and adjusting transport capacity dynamically.
Klaus Dohrmann, Vice President of Innovation and Trend Research at DHL Customer Solutions & Innovation, described the development as a shift from AI assistance toward action.
“Until now, AI has helped people perform tasks more efficiently. The next chapter is about action,” Dohrmann said. “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.”
Alongside Agentic AI, AI Analytics is identified as another important development. DHL said the technology can help organizations identify patterns, anticipate disruptions, forecast outcomes and recommend actions at greater speed and scale.
The report also introduces AI Commerce, Compute Economy and Humanoids as new trends. AI Commerce addresses the growing role of AI in product discovery and purchasing, while Compute Economy reflects the increasing strategic importance of computing infrastructure and data-centre logistics. Humanoids represent a longer-term development in AI-enabled physical automation.
Human expertise remains critical
Despite the growing autonomy of AI systems, DHL’s report places significant emphasis on workforce transformation rather than technology replacing people.
The Trend Radar highlights wearable sensors, remote operations, collaborative robotics and AI-powered workplace assistants as technologies that can reduce repetitive work and support employee safety and productivity. DHL said these developments can allow employees to concentrate on areas such as problem-solving, customer service and operational oversight.
Employee Belonging and Augmented Workplaces are among the trends highlighted in the report as companies adapt to new forms of human-technology collaboration.
Thomas Ogilvie, Chief Human Resources Officer and Labor Director at DHL Group, said technology is changing how logistics work is performed while human expertise remains essential to supply-chain operations.
The report consequently identifies skills development, employee experience and organizational support as important elements of successful technology adoption.
Governance and cybersecurity become more important
Greater AI autonomy also brings new requirements around governance, security and accountability.
DHL identifies AI Ethics and Cybersecurity 2.0 among the trends requiring greater attention as AI becomes embedded in operational processes such as demand forecasting, inventory planning and transport decision-making.
The report argues that organizations will need safeguards and appropriate human oversight as intelligent systems assume greater responsibility for critical logistics activities.
DHL’s Agentic AI research similarly emphasizes the importance of governance frameworks that define decision boundaries, establish human-in-the-loop oversight where necessary and maintain accountability for autonomous actions. Data quality, systems integration and workforce capabilities are also identified as prerequisites for successful implementation.
Sustainability remains a core logistics trend
The latest Trend Radar also maintains a strong focus on sustainability.
DHL identifies Decarbonization, Sustainable Fuels, Circularity, Heavy Vehicle Electrification and Light Vehicle Electrification as developments influencing the industry’s transition toward lower-carbon operations.
These trends encompass the deployment of electric delivery fleets, increased use of alternative fuels and the redesign of supply chains around reuse and resource efficiency.
DHL’s analysis of heavy-vehicle electrification also notes that the transition is likely to develop at different speeds across transport modes and applications, with infrastructure, charging capacity, vehicle technology and operational requirements influencing adoption.
Ten trends shaping the next decade
DHL’s Logistics Trend Radar 8.0 identifies 10 trends with the greatest potential impact on logistics and supply chains over the next decade:
- Agentic AI
- AI Analytics
- AI Ethics
- Augmented Workplaces
- Cybersecurity 2.0
- Decarbonization
- Employee Belonging
- Generative AI
- Supply Chain Diversification
- Sustainable Fuels
Together, the trends illustrate how technological development is increasingly interconnected with workforce transformation, resilience, security and sustainability.
DHL describes the Logistics Trend Radar as a biennial strategic foresight initiative developed through collaboration with business, technology and academic experts. The latest edition is intended to help logistics companies identify emerging developments and assess their implications for future supply-chain operations.
