AI and the Last Mile: Why Human Touch Still Wins in an Automated World
In the logistics world, there’s a concept known as “the last mile.” It refers to the final step of delivering a product to its destination—typically from a distribution center to your doorstep. Ironically, it’s often the most expensive and complex part of the entire delivery chain.
This idea of the “last mile” isn’t just useful in logistics—it’s a powerful lens for thinking about how AI is reshaping work. While AI is rapidly automating many tasks, from legal research to content generation, it’s not always equipped to handle the human-centered nuances at the beginning and end of these workflows. And that’s where people still shine.
The AI Takeover: Real or Hype?
Let’s start with the last mile. Imagine asking ChatGPT to write five blog posts. It can do a decent job; you might even use those drafts as-is. But can it:
- Format those posts correctly for your CMS?
- Schedule them across your marketing channels?
- Tailor them for different audiences—email, social, website?
- Ensure the visuals and links are all working?
- Post them at the right time and in the right format?
Not yet. And maybe not for a while. That “last mile” of content execution is messy, fragmented, and highly contextual—exactly the kind of work that humans, particularly fractional professionals or assistants, excel at.
Then there’s the first mile—the prompting, ideating, and curating that goes into using AI effectively. If you ask an assistant, “Come up with 10 blog ideas and draft them,” they might use a tool like Claude or Gemini to do the heavy lifting. But that assistant still adds value by:
- Understanding your voice and brand
- Filtering out low-quality ideas
- Presenting the best ones in the format and timeline you want
- Communicating updates and adapting to feedback
In this way, they act as the first line of defense—a human interface that makes AI better and more usable.
Humans on the Edges: A Proven Model
You can see a similar pattern in manufacturing. Machines may handle precision cutting and assembly at high speed, but humans still perform quality assurance, final polishing, and customer service. Think of a guitar factory: the CNC machine cuts the shape, but a skilled craftsperson sands, finishes, and tunes it.
The same goes for AI. It can do the 80%—the predictable, repeatable, high-volume stuff. But that doesn’t eliminate the 20% that needs context, taste, empathy, or judgment. In fact, it makes that 20% even more valuable. And it frees up humans to do more of it.
Final Thoughts
Rather than fearing AI as a replacement, we should view it as a reallocation. It’s shifting the burden of work to where humans are most impactful: the first and last mile.
The winners in the AI era won’t be the ones who try to out-write, out-code, or out-calculate machines. They’ll be the ones who master the art of setting things in motion—and bringing them across the finish line.
Learn more about how you could benefit from working with fractional talent by visiting our “How It Works” page!
With a background in music and an MBA in Entrepreneurship, Zack brings both creative and systems-minded approaches to leadership. He’s passionate about helping other founders and executives delegate effectively, reclaim their time, and focus on what only they can do—whether that’s vision, culture, or growth.
Zack lives in Austin, Texas, where he blends his love for business, music, comedy, happy hour, and community-building.