AI Cargo Foundation, serving the general interest 16/02/24
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AI Cargo Foundation, serving the general interest
This association, awarded by the Propulse program, from the Transport Innovation Agency, puts artificial intelligence at the service of a great cause: the systemic transformation of goods transport.
To change the world, some people launch a start-up. Guillaume Desveaux, with his co-founder Antoine du Sorbier, chose another path... “ It all started when I joined the France IA Hub, the organization responsible for promoting artificial intelligence in the service of the efficiency of the French economy ,” he said. A working group on the decarbonization of transport had already been set up, with SNCF, La Poste and L'Oréal, with a view to sharing data, both on long distances and for urban deliveries, in order to identify the levers allowing energy savings and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. “ But the transport sector is very fragmented, characterized by low margins and very competitive ,” he continues. The only solution in these conditions is to create a 1901 law association, financed by the State, to reassure those involved. The structure would thus act as a trusted third party.
Founded in March 2020, AI Cargo Foundation aims to accelerate collaborative practices and the adoption of new digital uses to help the transport and logistics sector in its energy and environmental transition. To do this, its innovation center brings together goods transport professionals, manufacturers, distributors, energy companies as well as research laboratories, local authorities and government bodies.
Systemic transformation
Concretely, the association aims to support change in long-distance transport, the decarbonization of urban logistics, the reduction of the carbon footprint of large vehicle fleets and the measurement of the carbon footprint of the sector. “ Beyond these axes, we have adopted a philosophy, that of the five Ms, for massification, pooling, motorization, networking and energy mix ,” he continues.
Certainly, transport stakeholders did not wait for the association to try to counter certain aberrations, such as the fact that 60% of barges return empty, once delivery has been made... “ For them, before being a environmental problem is an economic problem ,” analyzes Guillaume Desveaux. But to increase the share of rail and river transport - trains and boats being significantly less energy-intensive than heavy goods vehicles - and better manage the flow of wagons or barges, it is first necessary to collect the available data and map it. and analyze them. Then simulate different options, and finally, manage the transformation. All thanks to AI.
The questions are numerous. Which cargoes would be best suited to rail transport versus road transport? How to pool freight to fill a train and make the operation profitable? Regarding urban logistics, are warehouses too far from distribution locations? Can we consolidate flows? Where should the cargo bike meeting points be located? In this regard, AI Cargo Foundation has already developed an application (DeliveryPark) to inform delivery people about the use of delivery areas.
Clearly, the answers must come from the economic actors involved as well as from local communities and national authorities. “ It’s about adopting a country-wide policy, encompassing all these themes and planning the necessary investments ,” summarizes the president of AI Cargo Foundation.
All aligned thanks to AIT
Faced with these challenges, the Propulse program, of which the association is a winner, plays a key role. “ The support of the Transport Innovation Agency (AIT) is essential ,” declares Guillaume Desveaux. The teams, “ very energetic, make it possible, through their work to raise awareness among stakeholders, to align everyone on the systemic transformation of transport, both from a normative point of view and from a data exchange point of view ,” he adds. .
In addition, the association received 3.5 million euros from Bpifrance, thanks to the Future Investment Program, as well as funding from the Energy Saving Certificates system of 7 million euros. , as part of the DGEC/ADEME calls for programs for the modal shift of freight.
And of course, we must hope that the solutions provided by AI Cargo Foundation can be put to good use during the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games: transport of athletes' equipment (kayaks, etc.), food to the stadiums, waste after competitions... In short, for AI Cargo Foundation, it is not only about helping the country succeed in this event, but also, and above all, serving the general interest - and that of the planet.