Back in 2023, the UPU’s State of the Postal Sector Report identified artificial intelligence (AI) as a “beacon of hope” for the international postal industry. The report explored how the technology can be used for more than just automation and efficiency gains. AI presents an opportunity for hyper-collaboration between multiple ecosystemic stakeholders, ushering in a new era of sustainable postal development and helping to rectify the imbalances in both national and international postal development.
“International postal services can only succeed with AI if they intensify data sharing between them and with all their transportation and cross-border e-commerce partners,” said UPU economist José Anson. “We call this “hyper-collaboration” in the international postal sector.”
The transformation potential of AI has not gone unnoticed by the postal industry, with many operators around the world looking at how they can embrace the technology for optimized routing, real-time tracking, and personalized services.
“AI will increasingly support the establishment of digital twins throughout the entire postal supply chain and processes,” Anson continued. This will become a game-changer in terms of increased efficiencies in a time when postal services and other logistics operators struggle to maintain their profit margins.” (....)