AI Challenges the Old Advantage of Freight Platforms

McKinsey analyzes how AI is changing freight logistics, especially the work of brokers and freight forwarders. These players have long built their advantage on software that connects shippers with road, sea or air carriers and manages the flow of orders. According to McKinsey, this model is being tested by AI tools that may allow new entrants to replicate parts of enterprise platforms or bypass some functions altogether. With generative AI, a new competitor may build software faster than before, with a smaller team, less time and lower capital needs. The risk has two layers. The first is cheaper interface creation. The second is the emergence of AI agents that can combine data, carrier availability, customer rules and pricing information without forcing the customer to use a specialized logistics platform. This weakens the old advantage of firms that protected proprietary software. The article is not a simple forecast of the collapse of established players. McKinsey notes that incumbents still have strong advantages: scale, relationships with carriers and customers, operating experience and proprietary data. In an AI-driven market, this combination may matter more than the user interface itself. The business impact is direct. Freight intermediaries will have to stop defending old software as a fortress. Their value will shift to how quickly they innovate, how strong their data are and how well they integrate AI into commercial, pricing and operational processes. The regulatory issue is accountability for decisions. If an agent recommends a carrier, price or route, the company must know which data and rules supported that recommendation. In logistics, the issue is not only price, but also penalties, insurance, customs rules, cargo safety and contractual deadlines.

AI Challenges the Old Advantage of Freight Platforms

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