Inside Track: 2025 Marked the True Arrival of AI — what will 2026 Bring?

One thing was clear during the 2025 OceanX Logistics Network AGM, which we were excited to attend recently in Cairo, Egypt: Artificial Intelligence is no longer a distant concept — it is already here. Companies will need to begin integrating AI-driven tools in order to remain competitive and avoid falling behind.

Depending on who you ask, this might seem like old news or it may seem like we are simply boosters for unproven technology. But here’s where the various discussions and presentations at the event provided helpful perspective based on history. While it is true that technological development often follows a “hype cycle” — technological breakthrough followed by huge speculative investment, fueled by intense media interest, and then a bursting of the bubble when some projects/companies fail to succeed — what is also true is that each of these cycles inevitably produce real and lasting value. Take these notable hype cycles as an example: 

• Dot-com: led to Amazon, modern e-commerce, and digital marketplaces
• Metaverse: enabled enterprise-level simulations, digital twins, and architectural visualization
• Blockchain: brought stablecoins and robust infrastructure for consortium systems

Given this pattern, the key question becomes: What tangible and transformative value will AI ultimately deliver to our industry?

Some of our freight forwarder partners shared that they have already implemented AI solutions for data-entry and document-processing tasks. While these systems are not yet 100% automated and still require human oversight, there was strong consensus that entry-level data and administrative roles will likely be the first to be replaced or fundamentally reshaped by AI.

Another important insight was the expectation that over the next decade, the logistics and freight forwarding sector will increasingly require professionals with strong IT, data analytics, and automation expertise, rather than relying solely on traditional operational freight-forwarding skills. This marks a significant shift in the talent profile our industry will need in order to remain relevant.

Companies that want to remain competitive can’t stay in “wait and see” mode out of fear that the hype is outpacing value. Instead, now is the time to join the conversation so that you can more easily separate fact from fiction and proactively create value using the tools that are emerging. 

Canaan is here to help. We have launched a software development company that is working on AI solutions for the logistics industry. We’d be keen to discuss with you where the challenges and opportunities are for your business so that our software can better serve you. In addition, Canaan is proud of how our consulting work through the decades has supported clients by combining our historical and on-the-ground knowledge of logistics with keen insight into what is emerging within our industry. Bringing together past, present, and future — for the benefit of the people we work with — has always been what we do best; this approach to logistics has prepared us to serve our clients well in this new AI age. Please reach out today!