Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the maritime industry, ushering in a new era of digitalisation, automation, and data-driven decision-making. From predictive maintenance and route optimisation to autonomous navigation and real-time emissions monitoring, AI is being integrated across fleets, ports, and offshore operations. Shipping companies and maritime service providers are increasingly turning to AI to enhance safety, reduce costs, and meet environmental targets amid tightening global regulations. McKinsey reported that AI implementation can reduce forecast errors by 50% and logistics costs by 15%, while companies using AI have seen inventory levels decrease by 35% and service levels improve by 65%. One of the companies which was an early adopter of AI is Monaco-based C Transport Maritime (CTM). “Like with other industries, the rollout of AI is probably the largest tech breakthrough in shipping, which will likely touch every element of the value chain,” John Michael Radziwill, the chairman of CTM, told Splash in an interview back in August. However, the growing AI influence also raises questions about the future of the maritime workforce. While automation may reduce the demand for some manual or repetitive tasks, it also creates opportunities for higher-skilled, technology-oriented positions such as data analysis, cybersecurity, and digital systems management. This is one of the hot topics at any gathering of the sector’s elite, and it was no different last month in Singapore during the Maritime CEO Forum. At one of the sessions focusing on AI, Marco Camporeale, vice president at Inmarsat, said that AI was primarily a bridge between ecosystems, and on ships, the impact of AI would be to connect operations more efficiently, streamline intelligence, and assist crew in making smart decisions. He believes that AI will support decision-making, incident response, and training, but that the human element will still be essential, and that currently there must be a right balance of the two. But AI is definitely the technology of today. Mark Charman, CEO and founder of Faststream Recruitment, said at the event that senior maritime executives revealed in a survey that 61% claimed that AI was their number one personal development priority, and that 68% of executives now use AI in their daily work, up from 26% two years ago. As for seafarers, Su Yin Anand, partner at IBM Consulting and co-founder of The Captain’s Table, stated that there was a growing demand for digitally literate, data-literate, and tech-savvy crew due to high-tech ships transforming the ratio of crew attention from physical operations to computer-based tasks, with technical proficiency for the remaining crew increasing, even as some roles are reduced. Experts at the event even discussed how AI should be seen. Some see it as something to augment productivity rather than something that would replace jobs, while others believe AI to be like a co-worker, not just a productivity tool. Whatever you want to call it, AI and digitalisation are transforming the maritime workforce, but human judgment, situational awareness, and proactive upskilling remain vital in most experts’ eyes. Some even see the increased AI use as a new frontier of shipping. Harry Banga, head of the Caravel Group, told Splash exactly that in a recent interview. He sees AI-powered voyage optimisation becoming more integrated, adaptive, and predictive. This includes route planning, fuel purchase optimisati