C.H. Robinson expands the roles of its AI agents

Freight broker C.H. Robinson is now using artificial intelligence (AI) agents to perform work in ocean shipping, air freight, and customs brokerage, saying that the new technology brings substantial speed-to-market gains, precision, and agility to customers’ supply chains without sacrificing human oversight or personal attention.

According to the company, the move is significant because it shows an expansion of C.H. Robinson’s “Lean AI” capabilities into freight forwarding, for the benefit of more customers, and into work so complex that a single shipping task can require over a dozen AI agents working in tandem.

“As we’ve brought our AI playbook to global forwarding, the benefits keep compounding,” said Mike Short, President of Global Forwarding. “Customers have information they need sooner. Data is more consistent. Processes are more predictable. When plans change or disruptions occur, customers can more quickly evaluate a new routing, mode of shipping, schedule, or price. The faster we get you a quote and handle your booking, the faster you get the ideal carrier and the ideal sailing or flight.”

For example, C.H. Robinson uses one set of AI agents to manage requests for ocean bookings. They launched in China in August, will roll out to the rest of Asia in Q4, and are expected to be live globally in Q1 2027. One of those AI agents enhances booking requests with customer-specific context, ensuring the other agents operate with maximum efficiency while still taking into account individual customer preferences, requirements and procedures for their shipments.

This story was originally published by DC Velocity. Read the full story at DC Velocity →