F E AT U RE Patrick Schwerdtfeger THE TECHNOLOGICAL REVOLUTION Artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicle technology and the Internet of Things are all set to revolutionise the moving sector. Business futurist Patrick Schwerdtfeger gives us a taste of what those changes may look like ahead of his keynote speech at the 2019 FIDI Conference P atrick Schwerdtfeger just might have the best job in the world. He spends his days researching the things he loves most, travelling the world, meeting incredibly smart and successful people, learning about different cultures and business environments, and sharing his research at some of the nicest destination properties imaginable. The business futurists next stop is the 2019 FIDI Conference in Amsterdam, where he will speak about the technological revolution that the logistics industry is currently experiencing, from blockchain to AI and the Internet of Things. According to Schwerdtfeger, these developments have the potential to change the moving sector forever and some will occur in just a few years. CRITICAL ROLE FOR DATA So, exactly what role will data play in this technological revolution? Schwerdtfeger explains: Data is playing a critical role, and optimisation is the name of the game. 50 FF290 pp48-51 Patrick Schwerdtfeger.indd 50 Artificial intelligence referring simply to data analytics platforms that possess the capacity to learn will tackle one area after another, fully optimising the transport and distribution processes in their wake. Schwerdtfeger believes this will be driven by the Amazon effect, with the industry expected to keep pace. If it fails to do so, it could lose market share. He adds: Other non-traditional and well-financed Uber-like competitors will begin offering moving and transport solutions and stealing revenue from adjacent markets. Those who best use data will be most likely to thrive in the future. Threats such as those posed by Uber-like competitors are one example of disruptive technological innovation that Schwerdtfeger believes is likely to transform the sector, but he can foresee incremental technology disruption challenges around data collection, too. ABOUT PATRICK SCHWERDTFEGER Patrick is a business futurist and author of Anarchy, Inc.: Profiting in a Decentralized World with Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain, which is available on Amazon. WWW. F I D I . OR G 14/03/2019 15:07