Op/Ed: AI Simplifies Maritime's Digital Transformation

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already being applied in both ship and yacht building by a number of maritime companies that are currently using it successfully. AI technology makes a completely new way of working possible. It helps companies to operate competitively in a highly competitive maritime world.

I believe in this way of working, and we have adjusted our software accordingly. I’m convinced that any software which cannot deal with AI has no future. So don't lose track, and work toward knowledge-driven operations with the help of AI. I'll show you how AI is applied in the maritime world, explain its benefits and also alleviate your fears.

Transition from document-driven operations to knowledge-driven operations
I know from experience that maritime knowledge is hidden in tens of thousands of documents. A lot of companies want to implement knowledge-driven operations by introducing a digital system, but they dread the amount of manpower required to clean up and enter the data. How can this be done better? This is a question I’m asked frequently. Fortunately, a lot is possible nowadays. Let me take you to the new way of working where you benefit from Artificial Intelligence.

AI removes the barriers to digital transformation
AI can make the first step toward digital transformation easier. It makes no difference whether you are a shipbuilder, yacht builder, shipping company or someone who is already advanced in digital transformation. I was pleasantly surprised when the months of boring work that the software did, cleaning up and entering data, was all presented in a comprehensible dashboard in just a couple of hours.

No mumbo jumbo but a new reality
And that is only the beginning of AI's potential within maritime projects. AI has already been developed so much that it learns the terminology (read: language) of a maritime company. AI also advises on how certain information can be better described, so that the data quality is always 100%. There is no need to fear the use of AI, because the way data is processed can be completely traced. So, there’s no mumbo jumbo.

I believe the benefits are enormous. First, there is about a 20% reduction in the cost of failure due to misinformation. Secondly, companies that have implemented it are very happy that they no longer need to do the laborious, boring work of cleaning and entering the data themselves. The results are better and engineers now have much more time to use their talents. Thirdly, companies are discovering they have a gold mine of information from previous projects. By having the data processed by AI and adding these results as knowledge to new projects, their innovative power improves leaps and bounds. Maritime experts now have much more time to do what they are good at. All this, together with the fact that they have access to this information in real time, completes the formula to success. That does make SENSE, right?

Shipbuilder SENSE
Yes, this AI application actually does exist. With the help of our maritime knowledge base, we have created Shipbuilder SENSE, which we now apply to assignments. Our first clients have been very satisfied with its speed, accuracy and benefits. We are close to our aim of making the maritime sector more profitable and its work more enjoyable by greatly simplifying the digital transformation of the maritime sector.