New Feature: Ask Fluent

While the logistics industry has seen numerous AI tools emerge, most rely on static data that's often years out of date. Ask Fluent differs by connecting natural language queries directly to real-time shipping schedules, vessel locations updated via satellite data, routing intelligence, and your own rates and operational data.

"Ask Fluent is not just chatbot technology – we're providing timely information with context, which is different to what currently exists," said Andy Greig, CTO of Fluent Cargo. "While many AI tools in the market are slightly tuned versions of existing models, we're actually putting real, useful, informative data through it and teaching it to deliver that real information."

Ask Fluent addresses the most common logistics planning challenges through simple, natural questions. Planning a new shipment from Japan to the US? Simply ask "What's the best way to get two shipping containers from Japan to the west coast of the US?"

The system performs routing analysis and returns specific recommendations, such as the most efficient route through Yokohama to the Port of Los Angeles, complete with service frequency and next departure schedules.

Query the system about any container or airway bill, and receive current location, status updates, and contextual information about potential delays or disruptions affecting your cargo.

Ask Fluent leverages five years of data standardisation work that underpins Fluent Cargo's platform. This foundation enables the system to provide not just answers, but rich information with context that other search tools don’t deliver.

"Because we've worked extremely hard to standardise the data over the last few years, the transition to AI capabilities has been enabled by having the right technology to apply to our unique datasets," notes Greig. "We're providing rich information with context, not thin chatbot responses."

When disruptions occur – such as a vessel sitting outside Hamburg for two weeks – customers can ask "Why is it stuck there?" and receive specific intelligence about port strikes, rerouting options, and expected delay timelines, drawn from live schedule data and real vessel movements rather than generic web information.

Instead of using multiple systems daily, Ask Fluent consolidates access to routing, scheduling, tracking, emissions monitoring, disruptions, and market pricing through a single conversational interface.

Looking ahead, the system is designed to integrate with third-party logistics platforms, enabling customers to access data from services alongside Fluent Cargo intelligence through the same interface.

"We really want to become the engine sitting in the middle of everything," explains Greig. "Instead of jumping onto 10 different systems and learning how to navigate them all, users just need to be in the one place to get that certainty that is so difficult to acquire in modern logistics. This will ultimately include our customers interfacing their own data, building automation in their own workflows. We want to be the catalyst for this and enable them with our solution."

Whether you're a shipper seeking route optimisation and efficiency, a freight forwarder managing customer inquiries and providing proactive service, or a carrier monitoring service performance and utilisation, Ask Fluent provides immediate access to the intelligence that drives efficient operations. The system recognises that while different roles have different information needs, all logistics professionals benefit from faster access to accurate, contextual data.

Ask Fluent is now available to Fluent Cargo customers, with different access levels based on account capabilities.

Fluent Cargo is not just keeping pace with industry evolution – we're defining how logistics intelligence should work in the AI era.