THE world is supposedly in the middle of an artificial-intelligence and machine-learning revolution

Not that you would necessarily know that looking at the shipping industry.

While there are some interesting projects out there and you will find AI liberally peppered across marketing documents, the reality is that we are barely scratching the surface of what’s possible with some imaginative application of technology.

We’ve seen a lot of enthusiasm and for those able to sit through the futurists’ forecasts of the art of the possible, there’s a lot to look forward to, but as with the rest of the digitalisation revolution the industry is currently in a more practical, pragmatic phase of development where the conversation is about cost, data quality, systems and of course complexity.

So this week on the podcast we’re looking at whether the AI revolution really is changing shipping and why the answer to that question is less a story about technology and more a revealing snapshot about the mentality and willingness of the industry to engage in real change.

It’s about how the industry is slowly but surely dividing into a tiered economy of haves and have nots.

Speaking on the podcast this week:

• Nick Chubb, the founder the maritime innovation consultancy Thetius

• Roberto Coustas, ceo of DeepSea Technologies

• Elena Prekopova, Director, Digital Innovation Lloyd’s Register

• Deanna MacDonald, Co-founder and Managing Partner of BunkerTrace