Across the past few months, the landscape of global supply chains has reshaped itself faster than most people working in the business can remember. With cargo shipments set to fall off a cliff within a month or two thanks to sky-high tariffs and counter-tariffs around the globe, buyers and sellers everywhere are re-evaluating their orders.
At the same time, you’ve probably been hearing about the rise of AI. It’s been the top buzzword across Silicon Valley for years now, and even regular joes are talking to ChatGPT or Claude AI about their latest problems.
Perhaps you can take out two birds with one stone: If you’re still trying to get to grips with AI while trying to handle your rapidly evolving job as a logistics technican or manager, you might be able to figure out both of them at once. The right online course can upskill you, teaching you how AI tools can help you better predict the right shipments and better interact with your coworkers, whether they’re suppliers or delivery drivers.
Below, we’ve rounded up the best online courses that focus on AI’s applications for shipping or logistics. The best part? They’re all completely free, so you can get started today — no tariffs will apply.
Artificial Intelligence for Supply Chains and Logistics
⏰Length: 1.5-3 hours
This course, out from Proactive Ideas, covers the range of ways that AI can be used to better perform common tasks within the logistics business. Areas covered in the free course include inventory management, demand prediction, and other improvements to last-mile delivery.
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It’s a quick course that should only take you a couple hours to get through, making it an easy way to dip a toe into AI tools while staying squarely focused on the industry that you actually need to get better at.
According to the crafters behind this online course, it’ll help you unlock “the power of Intelligent Transportation Management Systems (I-TMS) and learn to integrate them seamlessly into your logistics operations.” This term refers to the communication between vehicles and a larger infrastructure — it’s like a fleet management system, but for the broader transportation infrastructure. Generative AI tools like ChatGPT may not be included in it, but it still relies on AI and smart learning to figure out the most optimal traffic flow decisions in real time.
In this course, you’ll learn how to best optimize route planning, carrier selection, load balancing, and more. Check it out or get started today by heading to the online learning platform Alison over here and signing up.
OHSC: AI and Supply Chain Free Course
⏰Length: 200 hours
Three hours too short? Try sinking 200 hours into tackling the intersection of AI and supply chain management with Oxford Home Study’s work-at-your-own-pace course.
Across its four modules, you’ll receive an introduction to the subject before diving into how AI can be applied to forecasting and inventory management, procurement and supplier relationships, and transportation management. The training sessions earned a 4.5/5 stars across 218 ratings on the e-learning website, so you can trust that you’ll be able to get what you need out of this (admittedly pretty significant) investment of your time.
It’s specifically aimed at supply chain professionals and logistics managers, with no prior programming or AI experience necessary to get started. If you’re interested, head over to the website to try it out.
Advanced AI Techniques for the Supply Chain
⏰ Length: 22 hours
If you’re ready for the big time, check out this course, which aims to teach you “job-relevant skills with hands-on projects” in order to, once again, help you figure out just how AI can help you with your position in the supply chain.
This course is focused on how machine learning can weed out defective products with just a picture, making it one of the more specific courses in this guide. But there’s more going on than just that: The course looks at all use cases of machine learning in the supply chain, along with a general overview, analysis of potential AI models, and a final project.
Not only is this an Intermediate level course, but it’s part of a wider specialization, the “Machine Learning for Supply Chains Specialization” which also includes two earlier modules that you’re recommended to check out first — Fundamentals of Machine Learning for Supply Chain and Demand Forecasting Using Time Series — along with a final capstone project afterwards, Predicting Safety Stock.
In other words, you’re still diving into the deep end with this one, even if 22 hours is a lot shorter than our previous recommendation. Check it out over on Coursera.
AI-Powered Supply Chain Management
⏰ Length: N/A
Not everyone learns best through videos, regardless of what TikTok thinks. For those who prefer to stick with reading material, we recommend Nvidia’s extensive set of online resources. They’re not a video course, but they’ll deliver just as much knowledge.
Packaged within a mini website, a range of sub-sections coverc Use Cases, Resources, Solutions, and Partners in its quest to explain just how intelligent supply chains work and why they’re worth it. The supply chain-focused page is a part of a wider look at retail in general.
Founded in 1993, Nvidia’s valuation has been soaring in recent years thanks to its dominance as an AI hardware and software provider. Currently worth nearly 2.75 trillion, the company even briefly overtook Microsoft as the world’s most valuable publicly traded company back in 2024.
Needless to say, they have plenty of AI knowledge to share, even if it comes with a lot of bias due to their need to maintain AI hype and their valuation. Head over here to check them out.
Don’t Be the Weak Link in the Supply Chain
Between Covid, tariffs, and that time a ship got stuck in the Suez Canal, it’s been a rough half decade for the supply chain. If you’re trying to keep your head above water in the shipping or logistics business, we’re here to help. In addition to sharing the latest news (China tariffs went up while you were reading this, probably), we have a series of guides covering the benefits of the right technology solution.
Asset tracking is a big one, since it keeps your assets and stock visible, safe, healthy, and well maintained. Check out our guides to the best asset tracking companies, how to use software management solutions as well as IT asset tracking, why asset compliance is so important, and the four steps it’ll take to craft your own custom asset tracking solution.
Fleets need their own tools, too, however, so we’ve researched the best ELD devices, and we have a whole guide to the hidden costs that you’ll need to consider when getting a fleet management system.
Don’t worry: The biggest options like Verizon and Samsara have plenty of AI tools available.
