While not everyone likes to admit it, we’ve been seeing more and more extreme weather events in the past few years. The effects are real, and if we don’t do something about it, our future is going to be pretty bleak.
Today, though, we have to deal with the consequences of our actions. Shipping is constantly interrupted by weather events, such as the Los Angeles fires, Hurricane Helene, and the fires in Hawaii. How do we plan for these issues and keep the supply chain moving?
A few ways, actually. And it starts with assessing the problem as it stands.
We Can’t Predict the Future
As much as I hate to admit it, I’m not psychic. I can’t tell you what I’ll eat for lunch, much less how the weather will be in a week. And since I know there aren’t any other psychics floating around, how can we accurately plan for what could hit us?
While we’re not psychic, we can be proactive. We know things will pop up out of nowhere, and we can plan for the worst and hope for the best. This doesn’t mean gaming out every possible scenario because that will take too long. But what we can do is have general backup plans for when certain things happen, then act and adjust accordingly. Being adaptable is key.
We All Need to Share More
I know, I know, you like to hoard your data. Look, I get it. I’ve been there, too. The thing is, though, your data and my data would get along pretty well together. They could go out, have a few drinks, and learn about each other. And is that so bad?
What my awkward metaphor is trying to say is if we share data, we all know more. When you discover a weather pattern brewing on your side of the globe, I can prepare and react accordingly. If a fire breaks out in the destination city, we can reroute and ensure everyone is safe.
But you don’t want everyone to know what you know, right? Trade secrets and all that. Well, what if we anonymized it? We take all our data, hide who owns what, and then stir it into an LLM that can spit back data to us. Sounds pretty good, right?
We need to stop having disconnected conversations where we hide things from each other. The more we share, the better all of us will be. Sharing is caring, right?
Then We Can See the Future
Once we know what each of us knows, we can be more proactive. And frankly, that’s exactly what we need to do right now.
We don’t know exactly when a weather event will happen, but there are seasons where they are more likely. For example, the Atlantic hurricane season is June 1-November 30, but many problems happen around September 10. We know something will go down, so instead of debating whether or not we should do something, we can plan ahead.
Set up trucks nearby to hold supplies. Make sure alternate routes are established in case of a blockage. Ship using different methods so the weather doesn’t come into play as heavily. There are a ton of different methods, you just have to find the one that works best for you.
Let’s Start Now
I talk about a lot of this stuff in my new book, The AI Ecosystems Revolution, available for preorder on Amazon and coming out on April 29, 2025. Pick up your copy now and read all about some of the wild ideas I’ve got for the future.
