I am truly mesmerized by the continued leaps of artificial intelligence and its impact on so many areas of our lives. Hollywood has shown us time and again how AI and robotics would defeat humans as the supreme being on earth, and this possibility may be a lot closer than we think. Since the Age of the Internet, technology has moved at lightning speeds, changing the world on every level. Then COVID-19 hit, and the world went into shock. Thankfully, we were armed with technology to help reduce the damage. Otherwise, it would have been 1918 all over again.
What should worry everybody is the near disruption that our global supply chains came close to experiencing. In this article, Greek shipping magnate Victor Restis share AI-driven technologies in the international shipping and trade industry and how that technology will enhance the safety and security of supply chains moving forward.
Restis admits that the global maritime industry loves to test new AI technologies to measure its effects on safety, security, and stability. AI exploration and implementation of new safety standards are taking place to support the more than 2 million seafarers around the world. The ships and large cargo vessels that steam around the world are being outfitted with new technologies rapidly. Internet-enabled connectivity powers the world and connects people, places, and things. In the maritime trade, connections between ships and ports, ports and warehouses, warehouses and trucking are in place. Single products and the movement through supply chains can be monitored by companies and customers.
From a crew standpoint, Restis points out that medical teams can monitor crew health remotely, HR departments and manager can offer training and development programs while crew members are still aboard vessels. Additionally, the ship’s machines and inner workings are connected to maintenance crews and engineers to relay potential dangers or areas where machines may be comprised. This helps maintain vessel integrity and ensures that ships do not break-down mid-journey.
In addition to AI, robotics is doing their part to strengthen this vital industry. A robot can tolerate fire, icy cold water, navigate the hull of a ship, and much more dangerous situations than a human and can be deployed in critical and dangerous situations. Along with hazardous assignments, robotics is being used to conduct critical maintenance assignments as well. One area of importance is ship and vessel inspections, which take place regularly in ports around the world. Mr. Restis points out that robotics, along with AI, can inspect a vessel with a superior level of accuracy and at a much faster rate. Robotics can move around the ship inside, outside, and underneath to detect and hull breaches or cracks and corrosions and report that back to maintenance teams in real-time.
If robotics and AI can increase maritime safety, proficiency, and delivery time, it’s definitely in the best interest of companies to explore and continue testing these technological advancements.