ORTEC Survey Reveals the State of AI, ML, and Agentic AI Adoption in Logistics

The survey reveals that nearly one-third of logistics leaders still lack active engagement from their senior executives in implementing AI and ML strategies. Without clear leadership alignment, strategic direction often becomes diffuse and investment slower to materialize. Although more than half of respondents have initiated AI and ML adoption, these technologies are typically confined to specific operational areas, impacting just 10 to 30 percent of workflows. Only 15.5 percent report extensive integration across their organizations.

The challenges include fragmented deployment, technical hurdles, and strategic indecision. Many businesses wrestle with balancing in-house solution development and collaboration with third-party vendors, with 70 percent indicating they have yet to find the optimal mix. Optimization emerges as the consistent priority, yet 22.2 percent admit that expanding AI adoption beyond current silos remains more aspiration than reality. The reliance on human expertise also persists strongly, with only 4.8 percent believing AI could fully replace human roles within five years – highlighting a preference for collaborative, rather than fully autonomous, integration.

Alongside the picture of traditional AI and ML adoption, the survey shines a light on the future potential of Agentic AI: systems capable of autonomous decision-making. While this technology garners significant optimism, readiness remains uneven. Forty-two percent of respondents are not currently exploring Agentic AI, focusing instead on improving existing AI and ML efforts. However, 23.2 percent plan to launch Agentic AI pilots within the next year, setting 2026 up as a pivotal “test-and-learn” phase.

Respondents anticipate substantial gains from successful deployment, including dramatic cost savings through fuel and mileage optimization, greater operational resilience, and enhanced data quality. Yet these ambitions are balanced by tangible difficulties: the cost and complexity of integrating with legacy systems is the most commonly cited frustration, followed by lack of model explainability and persistent data quality challenges. For companies at earlier stages of AI adoption, the largest obstacles include insufficient in-house expertise and uncertainty about return on investment. With Agentic AI specifically, structural considerations such as reengineering business processes for autonomous operations and maintaining high-quality real-time data feeds pose unique hurdles.

When looking at possible starting points, executives view first- and final-mile route scheduling as the most promising application, followed by global supply chain network design. To accelerate adoption, they call for clear and reliable ROI frameworks, relevant case studies from peer organizations, and seamless integration with current planning systems. Importantly, most leaders favor a phased approach, allowing human planners to remain in control while AI increasingly takes on repetitive and complex decision-making tasks.

In releasing the survey findings, ORTEC emphasizes its role in bridging the gap between AI’s promise and its operational reality. By promoting leadership engagement, delivering transparent and explainable AI models, simplifying integration, and defining collaborative pathways between humans and intelligent systems, ORTEC aims to help logistics organizations translate emerging technologies into tangible, scalable results.

For industry leaders, the message is clear: intentional strategy and measured execution are essential to navigate the fast-changing AI landscape.

The coming year offers a chance to move past experimentation toward proven, enterprise-ready solutions: unlocking efficiencies, resilience, and competitive advantage across logistics networks, from traditional predictive analytics to the autonomous potential of Agentic AI.

Ready to turn AI potential into operational performance?

The ORTEC survey shows that the future of logistics isn’t just about adopting AI, ML, and Agentic AI — it’s about doing it right. Leadership alignment, clear ROI frameworks, and phased integration are the keys to moving beyond pilot projects and into scalable success.

Don’t wait for the industry to catch up: the next 12–24 months will decide who leads in AI-driven logistics transformation. Let’s bridge the gap between promise and performance, from smarter route scheduling to fully autonomous decision-making.

Take the first step today: Partner with ORTEC to align your strategy, optimize processes, and unlock sustainable competitive advantage across your supply chain.