Warehouses filled with robots silently counting products. Refrigerators that order groceries without human input. Surgical sponges tagged with invisible technology ensuring nothing gets left inside patients. According to Dr. Erick Jones Sr., autonomous inventory systems already shape our world in ways most people never notice, with much bigger changes coming soon.
Jones speaks about inventory tracking technologies with the enthusiasm of someone who witnessed a technology journey firsthand—from clunky experimental systems to ubiquitous tools transforming multiple industries. His perspective spans decades working with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and related technologies across professional roles few others have combined.
RFID and AI: Perfect Partners in Inventory Management
Traditional views of artificial intelligence often miss a crucial point—AI needs data sources. While many focus on internet data or text corpora feeding large language models, Erick Jones points toward physical tracking technologies as essential partners for next-generation AI systems managing supply chains and inventory.
“People think AI will magically provide answers, but it needs data. RFID, quite frankly, is the perfect fit for AI because it collects data autonomously.” Jones explains.
Physical products move through complex global supply networks involving countless handoffs between manufacturing, transportation, warehousing, retail, and ultimately consumers. Tracking these movements manually introduces errors, delays, and significant labor costs.
“When items are tagged at the beginning of the supply chain cycle, you can use this data for multiple purposes—inventory tracking during transport, transportation monitoring, integration with availability models, and now even retail applications with point-of-sale systems in stores.” Jones details when describing the applications of RFID technology throughout supply chains.
RFID tags silently collect data at each supply chain touchpoint without human intervention—creating exactly the real-time information streams artificial intelligence systems need to optimize inventory management. Without such autonomous data collection, AI would merely accelerate analysis of outdated or incorrect information.
Unexpected Applications Beyond Traditional Warehousing
When Jones began working with RFID technology at UPS early in his career, tracking shipping boxes seemed revolutionary enough. The technology’s expansion into entirely different domains surprised even him.
“I anticipated RFID applications when working with the technology at UPS during the early part of my industry career. I could envision how it would replace barcodes on generic boxes and goods. However, what surprised me was RFID being used inside the human body during surgeries, with surgical sponges, and being integrated into pets for animal tracking.” Jones recalls.
Medical applications represent particularly significant growth areas. Surgical procedures traditionally require manual counting of items like sponges and instruments—both before and after operations—to prevent accidentally leaving items inside patients. RFID technology eliminates this error-prone process through automatic scanning.
Financial transactions represent another expansion area Jones didn’t initially anticipate: “I knew boxes and similar items would be tracked, but I didn’t anticipate RFID in credit cards with blink technology, nor did I foresee the move toward cashless retail.”
Perhaps most surprising to Jones was how RFID would eventually move from back-end logistics into consumer homes. “I was primarily looking at the backend processes—how we stock warehouses and package items after manufacturing and before shipping. What surprised me was seeing RFID used throughout the entire lifecycle, including how consumers purchase products. Eventually, when you place items in your refrigerator, you’ll simply download an app that shows what’s inside and what needs reordering.”
The Digital Product Passport Revolution
Multiple tracking technologies—RFID, Internet of Things sensors, blockchain, and others—currently operate independently across supply chains. Erick Jones sees them converging into comprehensive systems he calls “digital product passports” that will fundamentally change how products move through global commerce.
“It’s somewhat complex because the concept of digital product passports has emerged, connecting RFID, AI, and blockchain, which people often associate with cryptocurrencies. These technologies, along with the Internet of Things, integrate into a single unified system.” Jones explains.
Digital product passports would follow items from raw materials through manufacturing, distribution, retail, consumer use, and eventually recycling or disposal—creating unprecedented visibility into global supply chains.
Jones suggests this integrated approach addresses multiple challenges simultaneously: “It depends on standards, but currently, the digital product passport concept connects all these technologies. Security challenges arise because RFID has become part of daily life—in credit cards with what people call ‘blink’ technology and even with medical records integrated into chips implanted in people’s bodies. Consequently, data privacy has become a significant concern.”
Where many see security vulnerabilities in ubiquitous tracking technologies, Jones proposes blockchain-based solutions while acknowledging continued evolution: “Many people address these concerns through blockchain, which is supposed to be highly secure. However, quantum computing is emerging, which potentially threatens blockchain security.”
Standards development plays a critical role in this vision—particularly for security protocols protecting increasingly sensitive data collected through autonomous inventory systems. “I think technologies like RFID, Internet of Things, blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and quantum computing—what I call this smorgasbord of technologies—will eventually be standardized to provide necessary protections through digital product passports.”
Inventory Management Beyond Earth
While terrestrial applications continue expanding, Erick Jones Sr. also highlights unique inventory management challenges in space exploration—where autonomous tracking becomes particularly crucial.
“Regarding space applications, objects move in three dimensions without gravity to establish a geographic information system (GIS). Therefore, RFID must function as its own positioning system to locate items and retrieve information.” Jones explains.
Without gravity anchoring items or providing consistent orientation, space environments introduce complications rarely considered in warehouse or retail contexts. Items can float freely in any direction without defined “up” or “down” references.
“That challenge becomes particularly difficult because if you place an item in a designated location, such as a stowage rack, that rack can be located. However, with free-floating items, finding them proves much harder since you need to know your bearings—something often lacking in space.”
RFID offers unique advantages in space environments precisely because it doesn’t require line-of-sight scanning like barcodes. “RFID offers a unique opportunity because items can be detected without direct visibility, creating its own positioning grid for locating objects. This makes it particularly valuable, along with the fact that tagged items are never truly lost. You simply need to be within a 30 to 80 foot range to scan, then use a signal strength model to determine direction—right, left, up, down, or sideways. These unique characteristics make RFID especially suitable for space applications.”
Jones suggests these space-specific applications will influence future inventory management approaches on Earth, particularly in complex three-dimensional environments like automated vertical warehouses increasingly common in e-commerce fulfillment centers.
Standards Development: Unglamorous But Essential Foundation
While RFID tags, AI algorithms, and inventory robots grab headlines, Erick Jones Sr. emphasizes something less visible but equally important—standards development that enables different technologies and companies to work together coherently.
“During my presidency at ISCEA’s ISB, standards were heavily promoted through organizations like GS1 and GS1 US via the Universal Product Code (UPC). The UPC database that identifies products like Wrigley’s Gum in grocery store inventory systems has existed since the 1970s,” he explains.
Interest in updating inventory standards waned for nearly a decade before recent technology advances and supply chain disruptions renewed focus on this foundational work. “For some reason, these databases remained static for nearly a decade. Now with Walmart’s new 2023 RFID standard and NASA’s engagement with RFID, we’re seeing renewed interest in updating these standards.”
Jones connects standards development with larger economic shifts reshaping global commerce: “Standards have become relevant again, especially now that RFID is being implemented at retail point-of-sale. Consequently, there’s significant momentum to update and utilize these standards. Regarding RFID standards specifically, traditional 1D barcodes have been phased out in favor of 2D barcodes and maxi codes.”
Global economic realignments including reshoring, nearshoring, and sustainability initiatives create additional pressure for updated inventory tracking standards. “The integration of these technologies coincides with supply chains being reorganized due to sustainability concerns and tariffs. All these changes are converging at once, creating a pivotal moment. Whether for reshoring or globalization efforts, to succeed, we must establish standardized inventory tracking systems. This explains why standards have become critically important.”
Dr. Erick Jones Sr. continues shaping autonomous inventory development through research, standards development, and cross-sector collaboration. From medical applications to space exploration and from retail transformation to supply chain visibility, autonomous inventory systems increasingly function as invisible infrastructure supporting modern society—with much bigger developments still ahead.
