Research: Beyond the Hype: What the maritime industry really thinks about AI and where they’re making it work

New research reveals the gap between AI experimentation and meaningful deployment, and what it takes to bridge it.

This first-of-its-kind study by Thetius and Marcura, based on 130+ responses, aims to understand how the industry views the shift in AI and identify the specific strategies maritime companies need to move from AI pilots to scaled deployment.

The findings reveal both optimism and caution:

• 82% are optimistic about AI’s role in maritime, but 66% are concerned that overreliance could erode human skills and judgement

• 81% are running pilot projects, yet only 11% have formal policies in place to guide scaling

• 69% are somewhat confident that AI can handle the specific nuances of maritime contracts, workflows, and operational requirements, but more work is needed.

The message is clear: maritime wants AI, but it must be AI built for maritime and used with human expertise.

Download the full report for frameworks, case studies, and practical steps enabling successful AI scaling.

“Structured data, and an understanding that well-organised data is fundamental to any coming AI or data analytics use case” 

 Survey respondent