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  • Whisper Report: How will AI change warehouse architecture?

    Whisper Report: How will AI change warehouse architecture?

    Published to clients: February 24, 2026                    ID: TBW2115

    Published to Whisper Club: February 24, 2026

    Analyst(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

    Photojournalist(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

    Abstract:

    “This Whisper Report investigates how will AI change warehouse architecture. Researched at the Retail, Supply Chain and Logistics Expo in Las Vegas, it highlights how AI boosts worker guidance, accelerates operations, improves predictive decisions, and reshapes automation across physical and digital systems. It also stresses fragmented tech stacks and future robot‑centric warehouse design. Quoted: Steve Harris (Warehouse Craft), Priya Katyal (PGS360), Petros Dertsakyan (oloround), Rodrigo Hernandez (Bazarup), Sean Elmurib (Backops AI), Naushad Ahmed (MetaOption), Ingo Pietruska (Lufthansa).”

    Enjoy the related Computer Talk Radio broadcast.

    Target Audience Titles:

    • Chief Technology Officer, Chief Information Officer, Chief Supply Chain Officer, VP of Warehouse Operations, Director of Logistics Strategy, Head of Automation & Robotics
    • Machine Learning Engineer, Applied Scientist, Robotics Engineer, Computer Vision Engineer, Data Engineer, Data Scientist, AI Solutions Developer, Automation Controls Engineer, Embedded Systems Engineer, Platform Engineer, AI Agent Developer
    • Warehouse Operations Manager, Inventory & Fulfilment Supervisor, Process Improvement Specialist, Automation/Robotics Technician

    Key Takeaways

    • AI strengthens worker guidance, offering instant process support for faster, clearer execution.
    • AI improves operational flow through predictive modeling and faster, more efficient decision‑making.
    • AI drives warehouse automation, centralizing data and shifting future designs toward robot‑centric environments

    How will AI change warehouse architecture??

    We took the most frequently asked and most urgent technology questions straight to the professionals gathering at the Las Vegas Convention Center for the Retail, Supply Chain, and Logistics Expo. This Whisper Report addresses the question regarding how will AI change warehouse architecture? as depicted in Figure 1.

    Figure 1. How will AI change warehouse architecture?

    Intelligent Workforces

    The first change is suggested by Warehoues Craft’s Steve Harris. “It actually will change quite a few of the functions as far as directing employees. It will never replace employees. There’s always going to be a hands-on aspect as aspect to a warehouse. AI though will allow you to use some of those employees. It makes those employees smarter. For instance with our specific software  allows them to if they don’t understand a process to ask a pro about a process and get clarification on that. So shortens the process requires them or doesn’t require them to go ask somebody else but takes a maybe a 5 or 10 minute delay and that AI is going to actually shorten that to just the time it takes to get the answer back from AI” Nothing like instant help from an expert while on the job to provide much needed clarity.

    Optimized Operations

    Beyond human collaboration, expect AI to show systemic gains. The second change is suggested by PGS360’s Priya Katyal. “The speed of delivery of different solutions, different problems that we have to solve for our customers to help make everything more efficient and fast track the solutions that we provide.” oloround’s Petros Dertsakyan couldn’t agree more. “Help with optimization and better operational flow. Make it lower cost, more efficient, but also there’s a lot of predictive information that Auwill come out of this that can’t be done individually now with the basic models that exist. So you’ll have better ability to like predict do predictive skew modeling uh reorder rates and inventory distribution also decide better on what will sell won’t sell and maybe even beforehand detect where you should have things go and where you should up marketing information for because you know it will sell better there and also seasonality. It’ll give you good seasonality, predictions, and potential future forcasts.”

    Automation Infrastructure

    Beyond collaboration and systemic changes, AI will also cause physical changes to the warehouse that affect the technical architecture as discussed by Bazarup’s Rodrigo Hernandez. “Automatization of processes, right? So AI will not only apply to to warehousing but really every process in terms of substituting with artificial intelligence manual processes that they exist. When we talk about warehousing, it goes even all the way to robots operating what people do today. And that’s not even futuristic. That’s happening today in bigger warehouses. So, at some point, it’s going to make processes more efficient. It’s going to make them cost saving as well. And you’re going to need less and less manual work to do better processes. So, I think that’s the best the best way to describe it.”

    But the automation will not be restricted only to the physical warehouse. Backops AI’s Sean Elmurib Suggested. “a lot of parts of the supply chain, a lot of parts of the tech stack are very fragmented. Right? An operator can have four or five different software that they need to go pull data in from. And so what we realized is why not aggregate all that data into a centralized platform and then on top of that run agents against. So that’s kind of where I think uh you know supply chain type is headed and where warehouse automation is headed as well.” MetaOption’s Naushad Ahmed provide a more concrete example. “AI is going to do instead of user making a decision or predetermination user is making especially with the big warehouses where you have a 10,000 mains you have the multiple floors… AI is going to make those recommendations based on all the history and how exactly you are picking guys you are picking the product how the products are moving within the Warehouses.” Yet keep in mind. As Lufthansa’s Ingo Pietruska elaborated at some point in time, “warehouses will be built for robots, not for humans anymore.” For today, that is still a bit into the future.

    Related playlists and Publication

    1. Whisper Report: What’s the biggest supply chain risk CIOs ignore?
    2. Whisper Report: How will AI change warehouse architecture?
    3. Whisper Report: What tech will kill manual logistics in 5 years?
    4. Whisper Report: What’s the best part about attending RSCLE live in Vegas?
    5. Conference Whispers: Retail, Supply Chain, & Logistics Expo

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    Downloading, re-uploading, or redistributing this file is not permitted under any license.
    ©2019-2026 TBW Advisors LLC. All rights reserved. TBW, Technical Business Whispers, Fact-based research and Advisory, Conference Whispers, Industry Whispers, Email Whispers, The Answer is always in the Whispers, Whisper Reports, Whisper Studies, Whisper Ranking, Whisper Club, and One Change a Month, Vegas Convention Library; Leading Professionals, Real Questions, Real Time, are trademarks or registered trademarks of TBW Advisors LLC. This publication may not be reproduced or distributed in any form without TBW’s prior written permission. It consists of the opinions of TBW’s research organization which should not be construed as statements of fact. While the information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, TBW disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. TBW does not provide legal or investment advice and its research should not be construed or used as such. Your access and use of this publication are governed by the TBW Usage Policy. TBW research is produced independently by its research organization without influence or input from a third party. For further information, see Fact-based research publications on our website for more details.

    Analysis available only to clients at this time. Join the YouTube Whisper Club at the Whisper Club Level to get access to the video edition today.

    Related playlists and Publication

    1. Whisper Report: What’s the biggest supply chain risk CIOs ignore?
    2. Whisper Report: How will AI change warehouse architecture?
    3. Whisper Report: What tech will kill manual logistics in 5 years?
    4. Whisper Report: What’s the best part about attending RSCLE live in Vegas?
    5. Conference Whispers: Retail, Supply Chain, & Logistics Expo

    Corporate Headquarters

    2884 Grand Helios Way

    Henderson, NV 89052

    ©2019-2026 TBW Advisors LLC. All rights reserved. TBW, Technical Business Whispers, Fact-based research and Advisory, Conference Whispers, Industry Whispers, Email Whispers, The Answer is always in the Whispers, Whisper Reports, Whisper Studies, Whisper Ranking, Whisper Club, Whispers, The Answer is always in the Whispers, and One Change a Month, are trademarks or registered trademarks of TBW Advisors LLC. This publication may not be reproduced or distributed in any form without TBW’s prior written permission. It consists of the opinions of TBW’s research organization which should not be construed as statements of fact. While the information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, TBW disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. TBW does not provide legal or investment advice and its research should not be construed or used as such. Your access and use of this publication are governed by the TBW Usage Policy. TBW research is produced independently by its research organization without influence or input from a third party. For further information, see Fact-based research publications on our website for more details.

  • Whisper Report: What’s the biggest supply chain risk CIOs ignore?

    Whisper Report: What’s the biggest supply chain risk CIOs ignore?

    Published to clients: December 30, 2025                    ID: TBW2114

    Published to Readers: December 31, 2025

    Whisper Email Release:

    Public/Video Release:

    Analyst(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

    Photojournalist(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

    Abstract

    “This Whisper Report investigates the biggest supply chain risk CIOs ignore. It captures urgent insights from Retail, Supply Chain, and Logistics Expo revealing how external shocks, demand disconnects, and fragmented systems quietly erode resilience. Industry leaders share candid perspectives on tariffs, inventory pitfalls, and costly tech missteps—issues that can derail growth overnight. If you think your supply chain strategy is future-proof, this report may challenge everything you assume about stability.”

    Target Audience Titles:

    • Chief Information Officer, Chief Technology Officer, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Chief Operations Officer, Chief Procurement Officer, Chief Logistics Officer
    • Vice President of Supply Chain, Vice President of Operations, Director of Logistics, Director of Procurement, Director of IT, Director of Inventory Management
    • Supply Chain Analyst, Logistics Coordinator, Procurement Specialist, Inventory Planner, IT Systems Analyst, Operations Scheduler

    Key Takeaways

    • External shocks like tariffs and conflicts can cripple supply chains without proactive disruption modelling.
    • Demand disconnects from stockouts or overstock erode customer trust and lifetime value.
    • Fragmented systems and poor tech choices lead to costly inefficiencies and integration failures.

    What’s the biggest supply chain risk CIOs ignore?

    We took the most frequently asked and most urgent technology questions straight to the professionals gathering at the Las Vegas Convention Center for the Retail, Supply Chain, and Logistics Expo. This Whisper Report addresses the question regarding the biggest supply chain risk CIOs ignore as depicted in Figure 1.

    1.      External Shock Exposure

    Diving into this question, Lufthansa’s Ingo Pietruska went straight to the point. “Tariffs and supply chain interruptions.” When suddenly the world changes in terms of who can supply globally or what it costs or how long it will take – it’s a risk. In 2025 it may be all about Tariffs but in 2020 it was all about Covid and in 2022 it was all about the Ukraine/Russia conflict. In many years, hurricanes disrupt many trade routes. While each of these is technically unexpected, they shouldn’t be. As first discussed in Whisper Report: Can generative AI prevent supply chain disruptions?, organizations should develop a disruption threat model to maximize resiliency when external shocks are experienced. Clients should be sure to schedule an inquiry on the topic so we can guide you in establishing the framework.

    2.      Demand Disconnects

    Our second risk comes from Warehouse Craft’s Steve Harris. He believes the biggest risk, “is stockouts are the biggest problem a company can have. I should say in addition to overstock. So, managing that JIT for your inventory is really important.” Of course JIT or just in time is great for minimizing costs except in the external shock exposure scenarios. Many wanted to expedite shipments to avoid tariffs. Others, without back-up inventory suffered greatly during covid when workers were too sick to work.  

    Expanding on the stock issue, Midstates Group’s Taylor Wensmann takes a step back. “is capacity. What are you going to do when a high volume of orders come through? Do you have the team and the support to be able to fulfil and meet all your customers’ expectations and deadlines to keep those customers as lifetime values? If you’re promising and committing to an order getting shipped and then you don’t ship it, you just increase the likelihood of losing that lifetime customer by 40%.” In both cases, the supply chain is disconnected from and unable to meet demands of the customers and   therefore the business.

    3.      Disconnected systems

    Supply chain and logistics involves many moving pieces. To succeed one needs a cohesive, coherent picture of what is going on. With the many varieties of external shocks creating regular demand disconnects, the solution must be functional and agile. Unfortunately, many get advice from the wrong places. MetaOption’s Naushad Ahmed shared a story about a vendor that previously convinced someone into using a completely different tech stack from their existing solution. Nonetheless, the client, “decided to move forward whenever they have implemented. One of the biggest pain points and they actually ended up spending a huge amount of money hundreds of thousands of dollars into that solution.” Selecting the wrong components or an integration partner with no experience or expertise can be quite expensive. Be sure to work with your independent industry analyst at TBW Advisors LLC to review all strategies, proposals and architectures – even if the work is outsourced.

    Related playlists and Publication

    1. Whisper Report: What’s the biggest supply chain risk CIOs ignore?
    2. Whisper Report: How will AI change warehouse architecture?
    3. Whisper Report: What tech will kill manual logistics in 5 years?
    4. Whisper Report: What’s the best part about attending RSCLE live in Vegas?
    5. Conference Whispers: Retail, Supply Chain, & Logistics Expo

    Corporate Headquarters

    2884 Grand Helios Way

    Henderson, NV 89052

    Downloading, re-uploading, or redistributing this file is not permitted under any license.


    ©2019-2026 TBW Advisors LLC. All rights reserved. TBW, Technical Business Whispers, Fact-based research and Advisory, Conference Whispers, Industry Whispers, Email Whispers, The Answer is always in the Whispers, Whisper Reports, Whisper Studies, Whisper Ranking, Whisper Club, and One Change a Month, Vegas Convention Library; Leading Professionals, Real Questions, Real Time, are trademarks or registered trademarks of TBW Advisors LLC. This publication may not be reproduced or distributed in any form without TBW’s prior written permission. It consists of the opinions of TBW’s research organization which should not be construed as statements of fact. While the information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, TBW disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. TBW does not provide legal or investment advice and its research should not be construed or used as such. Your access and use of this publication are governed by the TBW Usage Policy. TBW research is produced independently by its research organization without influence or input from a third party. For further information, see Fact-based research publications on our website for more details.