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UniLink Group EDI

EDI and AI

Is EDI Going Out of Business?

We expect the question of whether AI will make EDI obsolete, so we want to address it directly. AI can now make data maps quickly and cheaply. The real question is whether they are accurate, and whether they stay accurate. 

The UniLink EDI Solution in Action Flow Map

AI will make EDI faster, but the data still has to translate the same way every time, and someone has to own that. 

AI Models Are Probabilistic

Ask a large language model the same question several times and you can get different answers.
 

EDI Data Must Be Deterministic

EDI data has to be deterministic. Data flowing into an ERP must be translated exactly the same way every time, and should change only when a specification changes. If AI runs the translation directly, there's a risk the same data gets translated differently. You still need a dedicated resource checking data accuracy, perhaps even more so with AI in the loop.

Managed EDI Provides That Consistency

Managed EDI provides that consistency. We keep up with trading partner compliance changes, handle exceptions and take accountability for the data. And the need for translation isn't going away. Manufacturers and distributors will always trade with partners who use different platforms and specifications. 

AI has many good uses in EDI, and we're actively building it into our service.
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​It helps us speed up implementation, handle support requests and accelerate testing. The benefit to customers is faster onboarding and quicker support, with experienced people still accountable for the results.