The UK government is to invest £8 million into AI maritime projects, which will support feasibility studies such as self-driving boats and automated port systems.
The maritime minister, Lord Davies, made the announcement in the city of Southampton, stating that he hopes the plan will help decarbonise shipping, help grow the economy, and make ‘UK waters safer’.
Coined ‘The Smart Shipping Acceleration Fund’, the aim is to kickstart research into use cases to develop smart shipping technologies including robotics, and autonomous vessels. Plus, successful ports will see AI used to detect safety hazards and optimise port activities with the aim of reducing their environmental footprint.
“Using AI and cutting-edge technology to make boats smarter and transform port operations is part of our plan to decarbonise shipping, enhance safety for our seafarers and help grow the economy,” said Davies.
The funding comes from the UK government’s wider £206 million UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UKSHORE) programme, announced two years ago, and the competition will be managed by Innovate UK.
Chris Shirling-Rooke, chief executive at Maritime UK said: “This support will enable our top innovators and entrepreneurs to not only drive substantial economic gains but also respond dynamically to the major challenges and opportunities within the UK’s most important sector.”
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However, while AI experts are excited about its capabilities, they enforce that governments and tech leaders need to work together to ensure it is regulated and controlled before rolled out at any rapid scale.
Ayesha Iqbal, IEEE senior member and engineering trainer at the Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre, said: “There are some barriers preventing organisations and individuals from adopting AI, such as a lack of skilled individuals, complexity of AI systems, lack of governance, and fear of job replacement.”
“With AI growing more rapidly than ever before, and already being tested and employed in transportation and other vital sectors, it’s high time that the government, tech leaders, and academia work together to ensure the responsible development of AI-based systems.”
Adding to this, Eleanor Watson, AI ethics engineer and AI faculty at Singularity University, and IEEE member highlighted: “It’s ultimately in the interest of businesses to embrace this.”
“The technology’s vast applicability opens up so many opportunities, [but] organisations cannot adapt quickly enough to new developments,” she added. “We will need to understand the impact on employment and any other implications to ensure everyone can adjust to these developments.”
