Descartes Systems Group, the global leader in uniting logistics-intensive businesses in commerce, introduced the Descartes Agent Control Plane at its Innovation Forum in Chicago, which this year brings together a record number of customers, speakers and sponsors to explore innovation in supply chain and logistics technology. Built on the Descartes Global Logistics Network™ (Descartes GLN™), the Agent Control Plane is designed to build trust in AI agents by coordinating them across applications and trading partners to execute multi-step workflows within defined guardrails, policies and human oversight.

“Even with connected systems, supply chain teams devote significant time to interpreting updates from emails, messages and portals, rekeying information and coordinating next steps to move orders forward,” said Ken Wood, Executive Vice President, Product Management at Descartes. “The Agent Control Plane brings our logistics capabilities together so AI agents can take on more of that work across applications, conversations and company boundaries; keep it moving as replies and approvals arrive; and act on events as they occur within permissions and approval points defined by customers. It’s an important step in our AI strategy, helping customers build on the Descartes solutions and AI platforms they already use and apply AI to the operational outcomes that matter, from reducing manual follow-up to keeping customer commitments on track.”

The Agent Control Plane combines the operationally ready data and connectivity of the Descartes GLN with capabilities from Descartes solutions to help AI agents coordinate work across applications and trading partners, and to make Descartes agents available within the AI platforms customers already use. The GLN supplies the logistics context to connect changes in one part of a shipment’s journey with actions needed elsewhere, while the Agent Control Plane applies customer-defined permissions and approvals and maintains a traceable record of agent actions. Together, they help reduce manual handoffs, accelerate responses to changing conditions and give teams more time to focus on exceptions and customer relationships.

“We’re pleased to welcome such a strong community of customers, sponsors and speakers to this year’s Innovation Forum,” said Edward J. Ryan, CEO at Descartes. “Record participation reflects the value of bringing this community together to share experiences, learn from one another and explore new possibilities. The conversations we have here help us understand our customers’ priorities and shape how we continue to innovate in support of their success.”

Bringing together 1,000+ attendees and 200+ speakers this year, the three-day Innovation Forum features sessions across fleet performance management, transportation management, global trade intelligence, logistics service providers and ecommerce operations. Industry and customer presentations, discussions with Descartes product specialists and hands-on demonstrations at the Technology Fair give attendees opportunities to explore practical ways to improve operations and gain more value from their technology investments.