Francesca Hawken shares her view on this year’s Groundbreakers event.
This year’s Groundbreakers event attracted a record in-person and online audience worldwide and a key takeaway for many was learning how to succeed at transformation.
The third event of its kind, Groundbreakers 2023 was hosted in San Francisco and visitors were treated to a series of thought-provoking conversations with leaders from across the logistics, energy and technology sectors. Themes covered at the event included energy solutions, workforce, mobility and the growing role of AI in transforming and securing logistics’ long-term success.
The event included an in-depth interview with Prologis’ CEO, Hamid Moghadam, who with 40 years of industry experience is known for his extraordinary ability to ‘see around corners’. He shared his views about some of the industry’s leading challenges – from achieving decarbonisation to harnessing AI and automation and adopting the right culture for success.
One topic that managed to find its way into almost every conversation at the event was AI, precisely because of its groundbreaking potential to transform logistics by de-risking operations, improving efficiency and enriching opportunities for skilled workers.
Rather than being viewed as something to fear, industry experts from Nvidia and AI Fund explained how AI and machine learning can be harnessed to improve demand forecasting and enhance visibility in all areas of operations. For the labour market, the experts explained that while there is often a fear that AI systems could take people’s jobs, they should instead be viewed as effective ‘co-pilots’, guiding decision-making and ultimately bringing more rewarding roles and upskilling opportunities for existing and new logistics workers.
This is a positive message and one that we are already embracing here in the UK through our work with the Prologis Warehouse and Logistics Training Programme at The Hub in Northamptonshire, where we are investing to create a pipeline of talent to meet the needs of logistics sector employers in the future. Seeing advancing tech as an ‘enabler’ rather than a ‘displacer’, will attract more people to the industry and help businesses to secure a successful transformation.
Closing the event, Jessica Alba took the stage sharing her extraordinary journey as an award-winning actress, successful author and entrepreneur as founder of the global online Honest Company.
It was also confirmed at the event that Groundbreakers 2024 will be held for the first time in London, which is incredibly exciting for the UK-based team.
Listen again to this year’s event again here, and save the date for Groundbreakers London, 02 October 2024.