The Hype Around AI: Where It Started, What It Means, and Why You Don’t Need It to Move Smarter

Sunnybrook TMS
6 days ago
3 min read

The Hype Around AI

Artificial Intelligence. It’s everywhere. It’s in our phones, our inboxes, our social feeds, and our news cycles. Everyone’s talking about it, everyone’s selling it, and everyone’s trying to figure out what it really means.

AI feels new and shiny, but it actually isn’t. The idea of machines that could “think” has been around since long before the internet existed. The story of AI is a story of imagination, ambition, and a few too many promises that took decades to catch up to reality.

Where It All Began

AI as a concept was born in the 1950s, when a small group of computer scientists gathered at Dartmouth College for a summer research project. They called it “Artificial Intelligence,” and their goal was simple: teach a machine to reason like a human.

Early experiments were exciting. Computers could play chess, solve logic puzzles, and even translate simple sentences. For a moment, the future felt just around the corner. Then reality hit. The technology wasn’t ready, the computing power wasn’t there, and the dream was bigger than the science could support.

What followed were decades of starts and stops, known in the industry as the “AI winters.” Every few years, a new wave of optimism would rise, money would pour in, progress would sputter, and interest would fade again. It took the combination of big data, powerful GPUs, and clever math to bring AI back to life in the 2000s.

The Modern AI Boom

Fast forward to today, and AI has made its way into almost everything. Machine learning and neural networks are behind your Netflix recommendations, your Google searches, your spam filters, and your chatbot conversations.

When ChatGPT and other generative AI tools hit the scene, it felt like a revolution. Suddenly, computers could write emails, generate art, build code, and even hold a conversation. The hype cycle was back, and this time it was global.

But like every hype cycle, the reality is more nuanced. AI is powerful, but it’s not magic. It’s great at pattern recognition, prediction, and automation. It’s not so great at context, creativity, or judgment.

How AI Shows Up in Logistics Tech

The logistics and freight tech world has been quick to adopt AI too. You’ll see it in pricing algorithms, routing tools, load visibility platforms, and predictive analytics dashboards.

AI can:

Spot trends in historical rate data.
Predict capacity shifts in specific lanes.
Automate paperwork and match carriers faster.
Improve ETA accuracy and tracking visibility.

All of that can make a broker’s job easier. But it’s important to remember that AI isn’t a replacement for experience or intuition. Freight still depends on human relationships, negotiation skills, and operational judgment.

A machine can’t talk down an angry shipper or find a last-minute solution when a truck breaks down on a Friday night. It can help, but it can’t do what you do.

The Double-Edged Sword

Here’s the tricky part. As AI gets smarter, so do the fraudsters. Fake carrier identities, AI-generated invoices, and even deepfake voice calls are becoming real risks.

Technology gives us better tools to work faster and smarter, but it also gives bad actors more ways to exploit systems. That’s why human oversight isn’t just important, t’s essential. The best tech amplifies human decision-making, not replaces it.

The Real Advantage: People + Tools

At Sunnybrook, we see AI as part of a bigger story. Our focus has always been helping brokers move faster, more efficiently, and more effectively. The magic isn’t in replacing people with machines. It’s in giving people better tools that let them do what they do best . . . build relationships, solve problems, and keep freight moving.

You don’t need AI for that. You need a platform that’s built to think ahead with you.

That’s what Sunnybrook is built for.

Catch you on the road,

The Sunnybrook TMS Squad