Is AI Coming for Warehouses? Brian Baskin on the DATAFOREST Podcast

▶ Watch the episode on YouTube

Brian Baskin, CEO of Ships A Lot, recently sat down with Yurii from DATAFOREST for an episode of their Empower the Data podcast. Over the course of the conversation, Brian unpacked what 30 years of supply chain and logistics has taught him about why every 3PL on the planet now sounds identical, what real differentiation looks like after a brand signs the contract, and where the data, AI, and robotics wave is heading next. Watch the full episode below

Watch the full conversation on YouTube..

Episode summary

The conversation runs about 33 minutes. Brian opens with the path that took him from a college internship in customs brokerage to running a 3PL today, then gets into what he calls the sea of sameness facing every fulfillment company: same claims, same promises, same checklists. From there, he gets into how Ships A Lot thinks about quality and accuracy, why he believes a 3PL is now better described as a big data company than a fulfillment company, and what he is watching in robotics and AI for the warehouse over the next 12 months. He closes with a quote that has framed how he has looked at this industry for three decades.

What Brian discussed

On the sea of sameness in 3PL

Every 3PL you’re going to talk to is going to have great people, great systems, great customer service. All these features that are kind of table stakes today. The challenge is differentiation. After you’ve signed on the dotted line, you get to experience the difference. Convincing you there IS a difference before is a little bit tricky.

Brian on the core problem every founder-led brand runs into when choosing a fulfillment partner, and why the moment of trust has to come before the proof.

On what a 3PL really is in 2026

We used to say we’re a communications company that delivers boxes. Now we’re a big data company that performs activities for our clients. The value Ships A Lot creates for a client has shifted from the physical act of fulfillment to the data underneath it.

On technology vs. process

Technology will make you worse faster if it’s the wrong process. That is 30 years of operator perspective, distilled and the reason Ships A Lot obsesses over the process before talking about the tech.

Closing: Brian’s favorite quote

“Those who can see the invisible can do the impossible.”

Brian’s all-time favorite line on tech and vision. It is the frame he uses for where the next wave of warehouse automation is headed.

If you’re a Shopify founder thinking about your fulfillment setup, we’d love to talk through whether we’re the right fit. No sales pitch, just a conversation.