The freight forwarder AIT Worldwide Logistics has launched an artificial intelligence (AI) and data science team, calling it a corporate-level department created to amplify the organization’s investment in data.
The group will set the stage for the company’s future implementation of next-generation AI tools, and will be led by AIT’s Patrick Chew, who has been appointed to vice president, AI and data science, the Itasca, Illinois-based company said. “With the establishment of the AI and data science team, the company is prepared to capitalize on generative AI, natural language processing, machine learning, large language models, and other advancing technologies,” AIT Chairman and CEO Vaughn Moore said in a release.
The AI and data science group comprises three teams:
- Data enablement – leading a disciplined, firmwide process to reorganize existing data strongholds into next-gen-compatible assets that will build new levels of trust with stakeholders through increased efficiency and ever-improving solutions
- AI governance and data science – developing new AI business features with an emphasis on heightened accuracy and privacy protections for customers and teammates as the technology continues to mature and evolve
- Business intelligence and analytics – providing dedicated, centralized reporting and visualization needs across the organization
According to Chew, the new group is implementing a regimented approach to transform data across AIT’s global network, including steps to redefine core domains and enhance time-tested workflows. Data management based on a newly configured single version of truth will be well-positioned to support powerful new key performance indicators.
“Treating data as an asset involves rigorous efforts to reorganize and harness millions of inputs, which will be applied in meaningful ways to enhance business intelligence, boost efficiency and spur innovation,” Chew said.
The move comes six months after AIT made what it calls its “most significant acquisition to date,” buying the European-based marine spare parts logistics specialist Global Transport Solutions Group.
