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AI has been hyped as everything from world-saving to world-ending. But beneath the noise lies a more urgent question: is AI actually useful? And if so, useful for what, and for whom?

For several years now, AI has dominated headlines, boardrooms, and everyday conversations, with much of the focus on risks—job losses, industry disruption, ethical concerns. What’s been missing is a deeper look at how to make AI genuinely practical and beneficial. That’s the challenge Dr. Bryan Reimer and Magnus Lindkvist take on in their new book, How to Make AI Useful: Moving Beyond the Hype to Real Progress in Business, Society and Life. They cut through speculation to explore how AI can move from promise to progress, shaping tools that matter long after today’s bubble bursts.

"It took two people to make me feel like I was a woman in my 80s."

Martin Staadecker, a Research Assistant in the MIT Sustainable Supply Chain Lab, has been honored with the MIT-GE Vernova Energy and Climate Alliance Technology and Policy Program Project Award in recognition of his work addressing Scope 3 emissions within supply chains. This prestigious award underscores Staadecker's commitment to advancing sustainable practices and his significant contributions at the MIT Sustainable Supply Chain Lab, which is led by Dr. Josue Velazquez and housed at the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics.

A framework for evaluating the five main factors that can reduce — or increase — the cost of an automation project can help leaders make more informed decisions about whether process automation might be a viable and cost-effective option for their company.

Teaming humans with robots delivers better results for warehouse operations than having only robots, but there are opportunities to improve that collaboration in the face of increasing demands for speed and accuracy in e-commerce fulfillment. Studies have shown that having a mix of humans and robots can lead to greater efficiency, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness compared with full automation alone, but companies must carefully consider the respective roles that humans and robots should play in warehouse facilities.

AI is revolutionizing supplier negotiations, driven by the need for speed, scalability, and strategic agility in complex supply chains. Initially used for automating low-value tasks, AI can now play a crucial role in a growing number of key procurement decisions. The transition to adopting AI for supplier negotiations should be step by step: from the assisted stage, where AI tools act as copilots but do not replace human decision-making; to semi-autonomous systems, where the systems can accept pre-approved clauses or adjust prices in contracts within set limits, but critical decisions remain under human control; to the fully autonomous stage, where the systems handle negotiations end to end—within guardrails.

The UK SCALE Centre, created in 2024, is a long-term collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Centre for Transportation and Logistics (MIT-CTL).

The Centre aims to work with businesses, academics, policymakers and aspiring supply chain professionals to build fit-for-purpose future supply chains, with a focus on productivity, sustainability and resilience.

Despite advances, developing workplace systems that facilitate AI-human working relationships is still in its early stages. Companies need to invest in systems that enable robots and humans to assume more sophisticated roles gradually.

Cambridge, MA —The MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics (CTL) mourns the passing of Frederick Smith, founder and executive chair of FedEx, and honors his enduring legacy as a pioneer of innovation in global logistics and a valued friend to the CTL community.

MIT CTL Research Scientists Drs. Inma Borrella and Maria Jesus Saenz, in collaboration with Dr. Elena Revilla, wrote a case study which has been recognized as the top-selling case in Operations Management at Ivey Publishing for 2024/2025.

How will generative AI aid supply chain practitioners to navigate threats and eliminate risk? MIT Technology Review featured MIT CTL Director of Research Matthias Winkenbach in an article about supply chain resilience in the age of generative AI.

New technologies and approaches are paving the way to more efficient use of AI systems.