Omni Talk Retail The Now, Next & Future Of AI's Impact On Warehouse Operations With Dematic's John Mabe | Spotlight Series
Oct 7, 2025
John Mabe, Product Manager at Dematic specializing in warehouse automation and AI, dives into the practical applications of AI in warehouses. He breaks down three categories of warehouse AI: optimization, vision/perception, and LLMs, revealing their deployment status. John discusses the struggles smaller players face with AI adoption, highlights how computer vision enhances safety, and predicts that humanoid robots could be more commonplace sooner than expected. He also emphasizes the rapid integration of LLMs for insightful data access.
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Three-Part Warehouse AI Framework
- AI in warehouses is a toolkit of distinct categories, not a single technology.
- Dematic breaks it into optimization (brains), vision/perception (eyes), and LLMs (conversational interface).
Optimization Adds Adaptivity To Slotting
- Optimization AI improves forecasting and slotting by adding adaptivity and better inputs.
- Combining supervised and reinforcement learning uncovers non-obvious patterns and adapts to promotions and seasonality.
Prepare Data And Start With Recommendations
- Structure your data before deploying true AI models.
- Start with decision recommendations if your data systems aren't yet fully automated.