In 1984, I was a young sales representative for a wholesaler in Pennsylvania. I traveled throughout the states of Pennsylvania and New York, selling our company’s products to businesses, which in turn sold the goods retail to the public.
Each day, when the sun was setting, I would finish my day off doing the same thing. I would place the orders I wrote that day into a pre-addressed postage-paid envelope and dropped it into a U.S. Postal Service mailbox to send it to the office for others to fill the orders. After doing that, I would climb back on my dinosaur and ride it to the next town, where I would find a hotel and some dinner or head home if I was close enough.
There were occasions when I would be held back in the office. The most common reason for me not being on the road was a buyer coming by for a visit. Yes, people used to do those things, visit in person, and travel from place to place to sell things. I did not realize it, but at that time, I got to see the beginning stages of a gadget that would not only make the job I had at the time obsolete but would also change the world. It was the advent of computers that could be used by medium-sized businesses not called General Electric or Proctor & Gamble. We all know how the movie version of this story goes, and that script is still being updated every day.
Back in the 1980’s I thought computers were cool, but I could not imagine how computers would change my life much. Regardless of my incredible lack of foresight in the 1980s, computers are what enable me to write and deliver this article for you today. If I had been a visionary who saw the true potential of computers in the 1980’s, the last place I would be right now is banging away at a keyboard, adding to the pile of two books and over one hundred LinkedIn articles and blogs. No, sirree, I would not; I would tell Mark Cuban to fetch me a cold beer while I watched the basketball game, and he would do it. Alas, here I am, content with typing this for you. Yes, just for you, never think differently.
Maybe I will catch the ‘next big thing’ so I can make Mark Cuban my beer fetcher. When I say, ‘next big thing,’ I don’t mean ‘Artificial Intelligence’ (AI); that is already here. I missed that one too. While I wasn’t on the ground floor with Artificial Intelligence (AI) either, it is clear to me that we all better become AI proficient as of yesterday because AI is the ‘now big thing.’
If you are not looking for ways to integrate and benefit from AI for business, you may as well be stuffing orders into an envelope and snail-mailing them to your home office. Using the US Postal Service will work to get the orders to the home office, but sending them by email is quicker. Use that comparison to grasp how much quicker things can be by utilizing AI.
Case in point is an eight-hundred-word article about cargo theft risk in Mexico. I could bang an article like that out in an hour and it would be pretty good. Below is proof. The below is not proof that I can write the article in an hour; below is proof AI can do it in twenty seconds. Yes, the article was fully written by AI. My instructions to AI took ten seconds, and AI took less than ten seconds to write the article.
AI-Generated Article:
The Risk of Cargo Theft in Mexico: A Growing Concern for Businesses
Cargo theft in Mexico has become a significant issue, posing a threat to businesses and the economy. The country’s strategic location as a major trade route between North and South America makes it a prime target for organized crime groups *1. The increasing use of violence during cargo robberies has heightened the risks for goods-handling personnel and has led to a rise in insurance costs for businesses.
The Magnitude of the Problem
In recent years, cargo theft in Mexico has seen a dramatic increase. According to industry estimates, there were over 20,000 instances of cargo theft in 2022, a significant rise from previous years 1. This figure represents an 18% increase from 2019 to 2022. The most commonly stolen commodities include food and beverage products, which account for about 40% of the stolen cargo 1. The economic impact of cargo theft is substantial, with losses estimated to be around $300 million annually.
Methods and Tactics Used by Thieves
Thieves in Mexico employ various methods to carry out cargo thefts. The most common tactic is hijacking, where criminals intercept cargo trucks in transit 1. This method accounts for approximately 72% of theft cases. Thieves also use sophisticated tools such as jamming devices to avoid detection and increase their chances of success 1. The increasing use of violence during these robberies has put both the goods and the drivers at risk.
Impact on the Trucking Industry
The rise in cargo theft has had a profound impact on the trucking industry in Mexico. Many truckers are now reluctant to take routes that are known to be high-risk, leading to a shortage of drivers and increased transportation costs 1. The Association of National Transporters (ANTAC) estimates that cargo theft costs the country around 2. 3 billion pesos ($137 million) each year. The human cost is also significant, with many truckers choosing to migrate to the United States to avoid the dangers associated with their profession *3.
Efforts to Combat Cargo Theft
The Mexican government has taken steps to address the issue of cargo theft. Initiatives such as the creation of a specialized prosecutor’s office for cargo theft have been proposed to tackle the problem more effectively 3. However, businesses and shippers also need to be proactive in protecting their freight. Measures such as using multiple sources to verify and validate carriers, assessing risk by lane and route, and avoiding predictable routines can help mitigate the risk of cargo theft 1.
Conclusion
Cargo theft in Mexico is a growing concern for businesses and the economy. The increasing use of violence during robberies and the high economic losses highlight the need for effective measures to combat this issue *3. By understanding the risks and taking proactive steps to protect their cargo, businesses can help reduce the impact of cargo theft and ensure the safety of their goods and personnel.
*Citations: 1 coyote.com 2 www.emerald.com 3 english.elpais.com 4 www.iconcox.com
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Okay, it is human time again. You can tell it is me because I don’t write as well as AI. I use contractions in what should be a formal article, which is a faux pas. You can also tell it is me because I am wondering if I have to use quotation marks for using AI script. Right now, I am going with ‘no’; but you know who would know for sure.
What magical words and techniques did I use to produce the AI article in such a short period? I gave AI the below direction, and AI obliged.
“Write an 800-word article about the risk of cargo theft in Mexico, with citations.”
Pretty tricky stuff, right? Not everyone can write a sentence like I can. AI can be user friendly and increase production by light years. If, up until now, you have been the 1984 version of me, you may wish to reconsider. There will be those who don’t use AI and those who do use AI that will replace them. Now, the flipside.
AI is cool, and there is no doubt about that. But there are challenges to consider. While all the information cited by the AI article does look to come from reputable sources and appears correct, can it be trusted to search the most relevant and best contextual version for my purposes? Do I have to check every source? Since the AI version only supplied websites and not specific links to source material, verifying the citations could become a chore. Still, the results I have experienced from queries have been impressive. AI is quite masterful at searching the web.
When asked ‘Who is TJO Cargo?’ AI replied:
“TJO Cargo is a Jacksonville, Florida-based company specializing in cargo insurance and transportation services. They offer a range of insurance options, including domestic and international cargo insurance, to protect shipments from damage or loss during transit. Their services cater to both businesses and individuals, providing coverage for various modes of transport such as air, ocean, and ground.”
And when asked ‘Who is Tom O’Malley from Jacksonville, FL?’ AI answered:
“Tom O’Malley is the President and Founder of TJO Cargo, a company based in Jacksonville, Florida. He has been with TJO Cargo since its inception in 2007 and has over 17 years of experience in the freight and logistics industry. Before founding TJO Cargo, he held various positions at Inter-Continental Logistics and Vista Corp.”
Both answers are almost spot-on. I did say ‘almost’. The AI summary of ‘who am I?’ stated “over 17 years of experience in the freight and logistics industry.” The AI search failed to add the previous years of experience in freight and logistics before the creation of TJO Cargo. While AI could have easily done the math, the program did not see the previous years of experience, even though it cited the previous companies I worked with.
As AI becomes more sophisticated, those small blind spots will decrease. Then AI was asked, ‘Who are TJO Cargo’s ten biggest customers?’ The AI I was using could not answer the question because the data I asked for was not on the Internet. For small companies, this presents a limitation.
Without question, large companies that utilize a corporate ‘Intranet’ in a private network can use AI within their own networks to source, sort, calculate, communicate, and manage resources at an amazing pace. For smaller companies to get that kind of bang for their buck, the data must first be inputted into the AI system to reap similar benefits. For me to get an answer for my ‘top ten customers’ question, I would have had to input all of my customers and the revenue they represent to our company into the AI system, and then ask which are the top ten? AI could have performed the sorting and given me the answer in seconds. The question is, where would my customer revenue information go? It is a safe assumption that it would be the same place where all the information from small businesses using outsourced AI services would go.
The answer is that the data would be gifted to whatever AI service the small business decides to use to gain access to the power of AI. Whatever data is input then becomes part of the servers that drive the AI service. Moreover, the data does not vanish after the AI session is over. Like the selfie you posted to social media after you had too much to drink, it lives on forever.
It is true that the AI provider’s servers, as well as large company intranet servers, can be hacked; that is a risk we carry for all of our mountains of personal or professional data that ends up on a server somewhere. That is the reality created in an age when we don’t have to use the U.S. Postal Service to mail our orders to the home office after a long day of sales work.
If you are not a large organization with home-grown AI and intranet, there is also the additional risk of misuse of your information. Is the AI service selling your data to people with glowing faces in a dark room in Ghana? Probably not. However, your data will be exposed to corruption-proof AI service employees as promised and outlined in the AI provider’s privacy policy. You do know what is in the provider’s ten-page privacy policy, don’t you?
As AI models become more complex and widespread, the surface of risk exposure expands accordingly. This applies to large corporations as well as small users entrusting their AI needs to others. The risks range from surveillance and privacy and misuse of leaked data to data manipulation and data poisoning. In moving forward to utilizing game-changing technologies, in this case, AI, users must first perform due diligence when partnering with an AI provider to ensure only safe models and vendors are employed. If your organization does not have, or can’t afford to hire, expert full-time resources to be able to vet possible AI partners effectively, it would be well worth bringing on a consultant to transition your organization to the ‘next big now thing’.
If you want to read more on the inherent risks of AI and what you can do about it, there is a great article on the website ‘Perception Point’ which you can read at this link: Top 6 AI Security Risks and How to Defend Your Organization