Your frontline workers need AI, and they need it now. They need guidance. They need information. And it’s getting harder to find a co-worker or manager that can provide these things. Everyone’s busy. In fact, in Zebra’s latest Global Shopper Study, 85% of the retail associates surveyed said they believe AI will help them be more productive, and 78% said AI/machine learning would boost efficiency and customer service. Three-quarters said the same for generative AI (GenAI).

Today, business leaders around the world, especially those in charge of consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies, are using artificial intelligence (AI) in their distribution networks and supply chain as part of their constant evolution in such a competitive market. Their main objective in leveraging AI is to obtain more precise and efficient demand management, leading to correct and optimal management of inventories, cost reductions and revenue growth.

When you’re using SAP mobile apps to execute mobile workflows and transactions, I would bet one of the biggest challenges is often a lack of offline capabilities. How many times is your wireless network connection interrupted by a dead spot or a temporary network outage in your facility? How frustrating is it to lose your mobile app session and any data and transactions that you were actively working on when that happens?

The ethos – and existential urgency – driving “responsible AI” policies is rooted in themes such as privacy, security, fairness, and transparency. Many headlines blur AI concepts such as machine learning, adaptive algorithms, deep learning, natural language processing, and generative AI (GenAI) technologies that are driving the current AI boom. People are worried about their data being misused, their words misconstrued, and their work misrepresented.

Just curious: How many questions did you ask about software the last time you bought a machine vision system or considered using machine vision to automate quality inspection? Probably just these two, right? 1. How much will the software license cost me to run the hardware? 2. What’s it going take to integrate, manage, and train users on the new component?

On 5th July 2024 the centre-left Labour party took to power in Britain, promising reform to the National Health Service (NHS). New Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, voiced 'an NHS fit for the future'. His manifesto? To cut waiting times, invest in new equipment and services, recruit extra staff and decentralise healthcare provision. Bold ambitions that come at a substantial financial cost. The headlines state funding will be found through a crackdown on tax evasion.

For years, we’ve been hearing about the dangers of Bisphenol-A (BPA). “Ditch any products with BPA in them,” we’ve repeatedly been told. So, we diligently check the labels of our canned goods, plastic food storage containers, and water bottles. We may even check our cookware, beauty products and other items that touch consumables. But that’s not enough. Though some governments have banned the use of BPA in recent years, not all do.

Many people I’ve worked with have found on-device voice technology far faster and easier to deploy and scale as well since it typically doesn’t require the same outdated code or infrastructure as older voice technology platforms. (I’m talking specifically about the voice technology used to automate mobile workflows, not just direct picking.)

How do you know what you need from a machine vision system? Or if machine vision is even the right imaging technology for what you need to see? Do you need deep learning optical character recognition (OCR) or some other AI-centric vision tools? How do you ensure your machine vision system will work well with your robotics components or RFID or any other connected technologies on the line? And how do you get the lighting right?

Editor's Note: This post first published January 2024. It was updated August 2024. Ever since retailers started reporting record losses on quarterly earnings calls in early 2023, my phone has been ringing off the hook. Everyone from asset protection professionals to reporters to my next-door neighbors want to know where things are going wrong. How is so much inventory walking out the door in these stores? Why aren’t thieves being stopped?