Nova Plans to Expand Use of AI Agents in Logistics – Head of AI Group

The Nova Group, known for its express delivery and postal services, has unveiled ambitious plans to enhance its logistics operations through the integration of artificial intelligence (AI). Daniil Maltsev, the Head of AI, made this announcement during the AI Day event hosted by Forbes Ukraine in Kyiv on Thursday. According to Maltsev, the company is already collaborating with several partners to launch new projects aimed at optimizing logistics processes.

Maltsev highlighted that potential areas for AI implementation include logistics planning and dispatching, indicating the company's commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technology to improve operational efficiency. Notably, Nova has only recently begun actively integrating AI, having made a strategic decision to acquire ready-made solutions for swift implementation into its practices.

“We have developed a strategy, and one of our core principles is AI-first. This means that before launching any process, we assess whether we can delegate it to artificial intelligence,” Maltsev explained. This approach underscores the company's serious commitment to innovation, which could significantly transform its operational processes.

At the initial stage, the Nova Group has already begun utilizing AI agents in its HR processes. As part of this implementation, consultations were held with HR leaders from the group’s companies to identify where the most time is spent and which routine tasks could be delegated to AI. This has allowed the company to pinpoint the most in-demand areas for automation.

The first successful case involved conducting initial interviews at Nova Post Europe, which currently operates in 16 countries across Europe. “Why is this interesting? Interviews need to be conducted in various languages, and AI understands all the languages of the European Union. This is not an issue,” Maltsev noted, emphasizing the advantages of using AI in an international context.

With the implementation of AI, the company can now conduct an unlimited number of interviews throughout the day, whereas previously this number was restricted. “We observed after the first pilots that candidates can undergo initial interviews at any time: at night, after work, on weekends. Previously, they could only do this during working hours,” Maltsev stressed, highlighting the flexibility of the new approach.

Among other benefits noted by Maltsev is the simpler communication for candidates during interviews. “We found that during initial interviews, candidates behave more freely with AI. They are less anxious and know that it is not a human but artificial intelligence,” he added, pointing to the positive impact of technology on candidates' psychological states.

Maltsev also clarified that during the AI implementation in the interview process, the company received only one refusal: “One person said, ‘I do not want to interview with artificial intelligence.’” This suggests that the majority of candidates are willing to embrace new technologies in the hiring process.

Furthermore, Nova plans to expand the use of AI in the process of collecting work completion acts within its document management system. “There are compiled documents that our employees used to analyze, verify, and confirm. Now an agent will handle this,” Maltsev explained, outlining the company's next steps in AI implementation.

It is worth noting that last year, the Nova Group facilitated 522 million shipments, of which 29 million were in Europe. The group, currently ranked 30th globally in terms of parcel volumes among express delivery and postal services, aims to break into the top twenty by 2030 and increase its shipment volume to 2 billion. This ambition reflects the company's commitment to growth and adaptation to new market conditions.