The maritime sector is curious and cautiously optimistic about artificial intelligence (AI), but the majority of players are still uncertain about how to move from experimentation to meaningful adoption.
New industry research conducted by Thetius in partnership with Marcura established in 130 survey responses and interviews with maritime professionals that 82 percent are optimistic about AI, 81 percent are running pilot projects, with 31 percent having personally witnessed AI failures, and 11 percent having formal policies to guide scaling. Around 69 percent believe that AI solutions might miss the critical red flags in contracts or voyage planning, leading to poor business outcomes.
The report stated that maritime, which is traditionally slow to adopt new technology, is compressing 10 – 15-year adoption cycles into just two to three years for artificial intelligence. There’s a trust paradox where the benefits and potential for AI are broadly recognised, but that same potential is causing hesitation. The real barriers are not technical, rather, they are human. Two-thirds of respondents, as per the report, fear overreliance on AI could weaken human oversight, with 37 percent having personally witnessed the failures, yet remain optimistic. This suggests that the industry is learning from mistakes and not abandoning AI entirely.
Janani Yagnamurthy, VP Analytics at Marcura, explained that a general AI agent might say that SF means ‘standard form’, but in shipping, it means ‘stowage factor’. “Off-the-shelf solutions might automate basic processes, but they miss the nuanced context that maritime professionals rely on. That’s why we’ve invested in building AI specifically trained on maritime data, language, and workflows rather than trying to adapt generic tools.”
She pointed out that the maritime industry is defined by complexity – be it operational, contractual, or geographical. “That means digital solutions must be built with a deep understanding of maritime itself. The generic plug-and-play approach will not succeed. The most effective AI is not just technically advanced, but also contextually aware, able to make sense of contracts, port protocols, and voyage data in maritime terms.”
To Trust or Not To AI
Yagnamurthy believes that maritime leaders want to act, but often feel uncertain about where to begin or how to scale. “Senior executives and C-Suite leaders express a genuine interest in AI, but there remains a significant gap between this enthusiasm and organisational readiness for implementation.” Theofano Somaripa, Group CIO at Newport S.A., said artificial intelligence is a real value. “It is not just a technology, it is solving actual pain points faster, smarter, and at scale. AI will be a part of our life, like it or not. In a few years, we could not imagine how life was before AI implementation, like we cannot imagine how to live without electricity.”
But there are also concerns about misuse and making workers redundant. Steven Jones, Founder of the Seafarers Happiness Index, sees a significant disconnect between the development, deployment, and actual use of AI on ships, fuelling mistrust. He said salespeople sell a dream, and then time-stresses seafarers are left trying to unbox and make it work. And a Master Mariner with over 20 years of experience at sea and onshore was cited by the report saying that he lost trust in AI tools after realising that incorrect data filtering was generating poor results. “The systems were lacking. While the intentions were good, the data wasn’t being filtered properly and it was leading to incorrect information output.”
The report stated that lack of trust in artificial intelligence and its failures often stem not from AI itself being inherently flawed, but from poor implementation, inadequate training, unrealistic expectations, or a lack of proper human oversight. And this can generate scepticism and make it harder to build long-term trust. Thetius’ research in partnership with Marcura supports the view that the language and framing used around AI influence how people perceive and use it.
Human Emotions
It should be noted that AI is not intelligent in the human sense, it is just a predictive tool shaped by training data and algorithmic logic. Realistic expectations, critical thinking, and user responsibility, rather than attributing human-like cognition or agency to AI systems, is necessary. Researchers agree that emotions drive the uptake and quality of a technology’s use. BetterUp and Stanford University’s Social Media Lab recently published a two-year study after examining 12,000 workers across 18 industries to understand how AI is transforming their work. It established that 28 percent of the workforce are pilots, but they are 3.6x more productive and 3.1x more loyal than passengers.
Thetius’ report highlighted that in the maritime industry, scepticism of new technology is traditionally high – emotional factors and this pilot vs. passenger mindset are critical to securing buy-in. Users must be willing co-pilots with artificial intelligence than being reluctant passengers. Those with a pilot mindset will be more likely to take control of the opportunities that AI offers. This new technology must be actively steering (reined in) for real and positive outcomes. Research also shows that attitude towards AI in the maritime industry varies – depending in the individual’s role, seniority, and proximity to day-to-day operations. Frontline and operational staff may have concerns shaped by the hands-on nature of their work and the direct impact AI tools could have on established processes.
Many also fear losing the human relationships and trust-based interactions that underpin this people-first, network-driven industry. Back-office teams, while often more exposed to digital tools, may face different pressures or resource constraints that shape their experience and expectations of AI. Senior leaders tend to see AI through a strategic lens, focusing on potential gains, but may not always be attuned to the emotional or practical hurdles felt elsewhere in the organisation. The report stated that
IT managers display a high level of optimism towards AI, reflecting their strong understanding of the technology’s capabilities and a lower degree of apprehension about its use. The biggest frustration this group voiced was internal resistance from others. One noted that a big part of his job is “playing psychologist,” alleviating colleagues’ fears about the AI projects his team is rolling out. Majority of the IT managers voiced concerns about unregulated use of artificial intelligence, such as employees using ChatGPT without company guidance, potentially leaking data.
Uncertainty and Insufficient Training
The report found that frontline workers are at the greatest risk of being left behind in the AI transformation, possibly due to insufficient training or uncertainty about how AI will affect their roles. A shipping company’s chief engineer shared that he feels optimistic about AI but is unsure about how it could or should be used within his role. He expressed concern that AI could replace, rather than assist, maritime professionals, reflecting fears of job displacement within the industry. This suggests either a limited understanding of AI’s applications or insufficient communication about its potential. He was also unsure where his organisation sits on the AI adoption maturity curve, which may indicate that it is still in the early stages of AI exploration or that there has been a lack of transparency around AI’s use.
Likewise commercial managers also highlighted their concerns about losing human touch, particularly in client relationships – deals in shipping often hinge on personal trust and real-time judgement calls, which many believe AI cannot replicate. Giuseppe Oliveri, Director at d’Amico, explained that in the shipping industry there is still that feeling of the person, the face-to-face relationships and not just the computer.
There remains a deep-rooted preference for interpersonal communication, especially in negotiations, claims handling, and operational coordination. Human connection is still central to how the industry functions and builds trust.
Furthermore, maritime professionals value reputation, experience, and intuition, qualities that are difficult to reproduce through automation. As such, there is a noticeable resistance to AI tools that interfere with client communication or relationship-building. However, back-end AI tools, particularly those offering data analytics and decision support are more readily embraced, as they offer value without displacing the human element.
